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MILLINOCKET – It was December, and Carla Portwine was beat.
In some of the worst winter weather the Katahdin region had seen in years, she was driving to Hermon every day for work. Then a chest pain, and a combination of some chronic aches, forced her hospitalization, mostly in intensive care, for about a week. She had pneumonia, she says.
“The travel,” she said, “was just wearing me out.”
That’s why Portwine of Maine is moving back to Millinocket. The cheese spread manufacturer and gift shop operator will be among nine small and startup businesses that will begin selling wares from the Michael J. Brown Cabinet Makers storefront at 1009 Central St. on May 1, she said.
“Every place I go, people have told me how happy they are that we are coming back. There has been nothing but encouragement,” Portwine said Monday.
As many as a dozen people, including artisans, craftspeople and manufacturers, will work part time as part of the collaborative effort, which will be called Pine Tree Treasures, said Ron Preo, a partner in Brown Cabinet Makers.
“The plan is to get as much foot traffic through here as possible,” Preo said.
Pine Tree Treasures offerings will include rustic furnishings – among them cabinets, plaques, hall racks and tables – lighting, some outerwear, glassware, jewelry, photography and artwork in several mediums, syrup and baked goods, granite and wood flooring and giftware, among other things. Prices will range from about a dollar to a $25,000 finished kitchen cabinet set.
All of it will be Maine-made and, usually, hand-made, said Bill Levesque, a town businessman who helped organize the venture.
The idea, said Joy McEwen, owner of Spirit of Katahdin Artistry, is to offer an unrivaled shopping experience by combining high quality with a huge array of divergent offerings. Also, sharing expenses and workload in one space with so many small businesses helps defray costs, Preo said.
“With so many people together, it’s easier to start a store like this,” said McEwen, who will offer painted glassware, woven baskets, Swarovski crystal and gemstone jewelry. “There is a lot of potential in this area. You just have to get people together and motivated to start new businesses.”
The nine businesses are moving into the space now. Portwine was unpacking on Friday and Monday, and the other businesses will follow. Her food manufacture will continue at a nearby commercial kitchen, she said.
The retail offerings at the front of the store will not hinder the cabinet and furniture manufacture going on in the rear, Preo said. In fact, the cooperative effort allows Preo and Brown to finish their retail area, something their continued manufacturing has forced the delay of for months.
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