Out and About: What’s Going On?
Tuesday, August 19th, 2008
Last week I had the opportunity to get out and about and see what South Berwick residents are up to. I got to witness the community spirit that makes this a great town and I got to spend time with great people.
First stop was the August meeting of South Berwick Networking (SBN). SBN is an informal network of South Berwick area business owners that meets monthly. This month SBN met at Dogs XO, just over the town line in Berwick on Rt. 236. Owner, Eve Baltzell gave an overview of her business, a dog day camp that provides a safe stimulating environment for dogs during the work week.
Patti Fousek owner of CreativeMind Search Marketing, a search engine marketing company located in South Berwick, also gave an overview of her search engine optimization business. As always, there was time for informal networking. What a great way to meet other business owners in South Berwick and learn about all the entrepreneurial endeavors springing up around us. Visit the South Berwick Networking web site to find out how you can get involved.
Next stop was GreenUp! South Berwick, a grassroots group of folks interested in creating a more sustainable community. The group has been meeting for a few months brainstorming, learning from each other, and planning how to build a culture of sustainability. Their first public effort will be a sustainability forum about how to save energy and money. They will host a panel discussion that will provide information on insulation, home energy saving measures, energy audits, and more. The forum will be held September 25 at South Berwick Town Hall. Check out GreenUp! South Berwick’s blog for more information about the group.

Last stop was the Great Works Regional Land Trust Art for Land Auction. Supporters of the Land Trust’s work to conserve important resources gathered to bid on art, donated by artists who also support the Land Trust’s work. The festivities began with music, food, and drink but the real business of the night was the art. The crowd engaged in spirited bidding, acquiring lots of great art during the course of the evening. I learned this is no place for a timid bidder, I will have to practice for next year!

South Berwick resident Cliff Gilliam has started a website where you can buy and sell items locally. The site works similarly to Ebay but is for local users and allows you to sell anything that you have, upload a picture of the item, bid on items, and buy it now. Because it is for local residents, you can check out items before you buy and eliminate shipping costs. Mr. Gilliam hopes it will be a way for local residents to make a little extra money or pick up a bargain from a neighbor.

This morning Don and I headed out to Kittery to do some errands and started our outing at the Sunrise Grill. This is a great place that offers hearty breakfasts at reasonable prices. It’s a busy place where the very skilled wait staff are always friendly and efficient. It’s a convenient location to meet up with people from up and down the coast so I often meet friends or have business meetings there. I’m not sure how long it’s been there, but it’s a community institution. It’s not uncommon for a multi-table discussion to break out, or to be next to a table with a card game in progress, or to see people table hopping so they can talk to all the people they know. I’m convinced if I sat there long enough I would eventually see everyone I ever knew come through the doors.
On the third Saturday each month Nature’s Way Market hosts a wine tasting to offer customers a chance to sample wines.

The Little Hat Company is a fun place to go. It is full of colorful toys, books, fuzzy puppets, and the very sweet and unique hats that are the core of its business. But that’s only part of the story; the other part is that the Little Hat Company is a company on the move, adding daily to the economic vitality of South Berwick.
The new windows at 4 Portland St., the new home of South Berwick Yoga look great! It’s amazing how a relatively small improvement can spruce up the look of downtown.






