Portico Realty is now in the office on Main St. next to Asia Cafe.

Rivers Digital, formerly of Dover, is moving into the business block next to The Early Bird Cafe.

An orthodontist is moving in the Portland Street storefront that was most recently South Berwick Yoga.

The storefront that was the Little Hat Company is the temporary office for the Maine Department of Transportation Route 236 Great Works Bridge Project.  The Little Hat Company is now operating as an internet based business and from what I hear is busy selling hats all over the world.

And then there’s the scaffolding on the center part of the business block.  Owner Russell Tarason describes the project:  ”The Ballroom at Wadleigh Gardens will be sporting a brand new, smashingly wonderful roof. It will boost a heated, lower encased edge with hopes of preventing the icicles that form some years. Additionally there will be a snow fence. The shingles will be of the architectural type that will blend in nicely to the historical building.  She deserves no less.”

It’s great to see business and building owners investing in downtown South Berwick, making it more lively and more attractive.

A three-year project to gain South Berwick national recognition of much of its downtown area comes to fruition this month with a public meeting about the National Register of Historic Places, the nation’s official list of significant sites in American history.

On Tuesday, September 15 at 6:00 pm, the South Berwick Historic Preservation Commission will host a meeting giving a brief historical and architectural overview of a new designation of about 100 properties as a district on the National Register. The meeting will be held in the Town Hall Auditorium and the public is welcome.

Staff members from the Maine Historic Preservation Commission will be on hand to discuss the National Register program and what this designation will mean to property owners.

The National Register of Historic Places is our nation’s list of those properties that retain integrity of design, materials, workmanship, setting, location, association and feeling, and which are significant within the fields of architecture, archaeology, engineering, culture or history.

South Berwick properties to be recognized include a sea captain’s house, a former one-room schoolhouse, the home of one of Maine’s first congressmen, a one-time stage coach tavern, a house built by a Civil War soldier, Sarah Orne Jewett’s homes and that of her school teacher, and many other points of interest.

“This is an honorary designation for the town, recognizing the excellent examples of architecture and historically significant spaces,” said South Berwick Historic District Commission chair Dan Boyle.  “It has positive implications for South Berwick businesses and homeowners alike.”

A National Register listing places no obligation or limitation on owners, who remain in complete control of their properties.  There is no requirement that owners open their properties to the public, restore them, or even maintain them, if they choose not to do so. Owners can do anything they wish with their property provided that no Federal license, permit, or funding is involved.

The National Register is a list maintained by the National Park Service, Department of the Interior, as an honorary recognition. To be listed, Maine towns first must research their history and present it to the Maine Historic Preservation Commission.

In 2007, South Berwick hired an historic preservation consultant to document over 100 buildings in the village for listing on the National Register of Historic Places. Funds were provided by the New Hampshire Charitable Foundation, Kennebunk Savings Bank, the Old Berwick Historical Society, Preservation Timber Framing, Civil Consultants, and Edward Jones Investments of South Berwick.

About 100 houses, stores, churches and other buildings built in the late 1700s through the early 20th century on Main and Portland Streets, Academy Street and Highland Avenue were researched in county probate records and the archives of the Old Berwick Historical Society.

“The benefits of listing are simply that the National Register gives official recognition to the historic and cultural importance of South Berwick Village as part of the nation’s heritage,” said Boyle.  “Some commercial and rental properties in the National Register may also qualify for certified rehabilitation tax credit incentives under the historic preservation provisions of the Tax Reform Act of 1986.”

The South Berwick project grew from the Town of South Berwick’s 1998 survey that concluded that many houses and stores in the area were eligible for listing on the national registry.  Since then, citizens have expressed the desire to complete this process.

A public meeting was held in 2007 to outline the proposed new National Register district. At the meeting, a representative of the Maine Historic Preservation Commission gave a slide presentation about the process for listing properties individually or as districts, and provided information.

Questions or concerns, or offers to help with the project by volunteering should be directed to Dan Boyle, Historic District Commission chairman, at (207)384-5652.

I don’t know about you, but I’ve been really curious about what’s been happening in the storefront on Main Street that was recently vacated by Sobo Book & Bean.  Every time I walk by lately I’ve been peeking in and seeing the transformation inside: new paint, shining floors, a new arrangement of the counter, more open space, and a new sparkle.

The other night at a South Berwick Networking meeting I got to meet Wendy Reppucci, who along with her spouse, is opening The Early Bird, the new coffee shop that is going into the spot.  It sounds like the Early Bird is a perfect addition to that stretch of Main St.

Here’s the latest update from Wendy Reppucci:

We’ve revived the cozy space at 241 Main Street with a cheery facelift.  The Early Bird will be open for business on Strawberry Festival weekend.  We’ll open with a limited menu then – our Grand Opening is planned for July with our full menu in place.   We’ll feature fresh, preservative-free Bagels, a great selection of organic, fair trade coffees (roasted in Maine) and teas, a variety of fresh Egg & Cheese Sandwiches, including our own Green Eggs & Ham specialty sandwich, Kimmi’s Best Biscotti (made right here in So. Berwick) and many other fresh and natural offerings.  Soft-serve ice cream and Root Beer floats will coming soon too!  We’ll be offering complimentary WiFi access at the Early Bird.

We’ll be open seven days a week, and yes, we will be open early!  Our hours are Monday-Friday from 6:00 am – 2:00 pm and Saturday-Sunday 8:00 am – 2:00 pm. The Early Bird will also be open Thursday evenings for Hot Summer Nights concerts, so come visit us and grab an ice-cream or an iced-coffee to enjoy during the show.  We have the best coffee in town!

Feel free to email us with any questions, comments or to just say hello at: earlybird241@yahoo.com.

This is great news for the center of the village.  Early coffee, breakfast sandwiches, and WiFi!  Best wishes to the the Reppucci’s and the Early Bird, I can’t wait to do some early morning coffee and blogging there.

Saturday, April 11, 2009 3:30 PM

I went into town on Saturday afternoon to South Berwick Pharmacy and Nature’s Way Market.  Cars were coming and going and there was a choice of parking spots.

Tuesday, April 14, 2008, 8:25 AM

During a quick trip to the Post Office and Nature’s Way Market I hit downtown during the morning rush hour around Central School.  There were school buses, lots of pedestrians, and turning traffic near the school but there were plenty of parking spaces near the business block.

April 9, 2009, 7:40 AM. Destination: Nature's Way Market and Post Office mailbox. Parking: Directly in front of Nature's Way Market, walked to Post Office while waiting for market to open. Travel time: From center of town to my house south of downtown (2.6 miles) six minutes.

Last night I went to the Economic Development Committee meeting where a planning expert and economist presented some ideas for how to encourage economic development in South Berwick.  The gist of their recommendations were that our downtown business core is a huge asset that we should build upon by supporting and encouraging downtown businesses.  They also recommended that we could market our town to get more of the day tourism dollar.  Someone in the audience said that parking and traffic are a deterrent to patronizing downtown businesses.  I have heard this before.  I am one of the lucky people who gets to live and work in South Berwick and am downtown nearly every day. I haven’t experienced lack of parking or traffic as a problem.  It made me wonder what the story is on parking.   So today I decided to start keeping track of the traffic and parking aspect of my downtown vists.  Welcome to the Parking Chronicles.  What’s your take on parking and traffic?

Later the same day:

April 9, 2009, 5:20 PM. Destination: Nature's Way Market (again!). Parking: Across the street from Nature's Way Market. Travel time: From my house south of downtown (2.6 miles) to center of town eight minutes.

I had a particularly nice day last week when I bought a pound of ground round and some almonds at the new independent market in the village of South Berwick.

First I bumped into my babysitter, who works the checkout line Wednesday afternoons. It was like running into a family member. My daughter stood there gazing in awe at her teenage mentor, while I wandered in search of cilantro.

Then I ran into a mother and boy from my son’s school and suddenly the two five-year-olds were hugging in the aisle. At the same time, the woman working the deli counter committed a new leather coat to an auction I am running for a mutual friend with cancer, while the store owner immediately agreed to donate wine to the auction.

The wine vendor just happened to be available in the “nail room,” named after the items sold there when this building housed a hardware store. He walked me through the wine selection, explaining that this one is organic while that one is simply made from organic grapes. At checkout, the cashier didn’t even double-check that the owner had donated the bottles.

These interactions are part of what keeps me returning to my village market. While 83 percent of Americans buy groceries at chain supermarkets, I feel blessed to have a locally owned market five minutes from my house. But while I love the social life in the neighborhood store, I love more knowing this enterprise is helping my community, economically and environmentally. And that to play a role in this, all I had to do was buy my lasagna dinner while socializing with neighbors.

Over the years I have learned what independents give to a community. The illusion of getting a bargain at a chain store is no match for the value of a local grocer.

In locally owned stores, the profits stay largely in the community. Studies have found that a third to a half the profits made by a local independent go right back to lawyers, bookkeepers, stationary stores, pharmacies, banks and other businesses in the region. With corporate ownership, half that much or less is reinvested locally, as chains have centralized banks, accountants and other services in far off headquarters. Similarly, locally owned stores give twice as much to local charities.

And while superstores truck products across the country, our village market buys what it can locally – White Heron Tea made in Rollinsford, Carpe Diem Coffee, made in North Berwick, and milk from Harris Farm in Dayton, Maine. This local purchasing helps local businesses, as well as the environment. Trucking accounts for nearly a fifth of greenhouse gases emitted in this country.

Furthermore, like many smaller retail operations, the locally owned market sits downtown in a pre-existing building that many people walk to. Not a postage stamp of green was converted to open the store.

According to “Big Box Swindle,” an eye-opening book by Maine resident Stacey Mitchell of the Institute for Local Self Reliance, Americans spend an average of 100 hours each year driving to shop. We are logging 95 billion miles a year more than we did in 1990, accounting for an additional 40 million metric tons of carbon dioxide, 200,000 tons of hydrocarbons and 150,000 tons of nitrogen oxide in the atmosphere.

The bad news is that superstores have gained an increasing share of our nation’s and in fact the world’s dollars. In part this is the responsibility of government policies favoring large corporations. The good news is more people each day recognize it is more satisfying to shop at local independent stores, and that it is also better for the economy. Organizations like Seacoast Buy Local, which has about 100 business members in the Seaocast, are helping local independents work together and educate the public. And local, state and federal governments are slowly changing policies so smaller retailers can survive without battling government favoritism.

After 10 years with many great stores opening and closing in town, often facing many empty storefronts, we in South Berwick were educated the hard way. This fall we celebrated the return of another small independent grocer. We look at this new business in town as “our market,” a comforting sign that our town has a heart and a soul.

–Amy Miller

This essay also ran in Foster’s Daily Democrat, April 13, 2008:
Community Dollars & Sense: Local grocer’s value goes beyond price

The public is invited to a free reception celebrating the release of the brochure at the Counting House Museum on Sunday, April 20, at 3:00 p.m. Garden historian Nancy Wetzel will read from Jewett’s “Looking Back on Girlhood,” an account of life in South Berwick in the 1850s. Refreshments will be served.

Written by the Jewett-Eastman Memorial Committee, a citizens’ group that maintains and manages Jewett’s 1854 home as the South Berwick Public Library, the brochure welcomes and informs visitors and seeks to draw local citizens downtown. It is available free at local businesses and municipal buildings.

“The tour invites visitors to stroll through this river town, as Jewett beckoned readers up its elm-lined streets in her fiction. We wanted to encourage walking traffic in the historic center at a time when South Berwick is working to revitalize,” said JEM member Nina Maurer.

Illustrated with historic photos and a newly drawn map, the brochure leads strollers to 17 sites in a mile-long course through the center of town. Sites include the house where the author was born in 1849, along with places where she lived, wrote, shopped, studied, worshipped, gardened, rowed on the river, visited relatives, and was finally laid to rest in 1909. The tour can be walked in about an hour.

Much of South Berwick’s village center still looks at it did in Jewett’s lifetime, though the businesses have changed. The Jewett Store on Portland Street, selling imported cloth and dry goods, is now The Little Hat Company, selling polar-fleece hats and children’s toys. Jewett’s stories, novels, and poems–over 300 in all–are largely based on people and places in South Berwick and the surrounding area.

“South Berwick is fortunate to have a rich architectural heritage,” Maurer said. “The working lives of generations of townspeople are preserved in every block, where we buy groceries, visit the library, meet, and dine.”

The brochure includes brief histories of the Jewetts and South Berwick as well as site captions. Museums on the tour include the Sarah Orne Jewett House in the center of the village and the Hamilton House on the Salmon Falls River, both National Historic Landmarks operated as museums by Historic New England, and the Counting House Museum at the old Quamphegan Landing.

The walking tour project was supported by donations from Julia’s Fund of the New Hampshire Charitable Foundation, Kennebunk Savings Bank, Lassel Architects, Historic New England, and the Old Berwick Historical Society.

JEM Committee members Margaret Brentano and Nina Maurer compiled the text using historical information from the Old Berwick Historical Society, Historic New England, and the Sarah Orne Jewett Text Project.

Just shy of her first anniversary of working with The Little Hat Company, Deb Knowlton South Berwick resident of twenty years was named Lead Designer & Production Manager. Deb began stitching for The Little Hat Company during the spring of 2007. She had first contacted Jennifer Houghton in January about sewing for the new company. The Little Hat Company was just not big enough yet to support an in house production team. Since then, demand for the made in Maine Stroller and Loope Lids has grown enough to support a team of 6 part-time stitchers. Deb is proud of her new recent designs that will launch on The Little Hat Company’s website next month: The Strawberry Patch Lid & My New Little Preemie Lid.

Deb recently left her full time position in order to pursue her life long dream of sewing for a living. The demand for Stroller Lids across the country has grown to a point that it has become her main focus outside of her family. In addition to coming up with new ideas for Lids, Deb heads up the production team in South Berwick. She works with women who have a wealth of sewing experience as well as first timers who have been welcomed to the team. The team is currently made up of all stay at home moms. It was a great opportunity for the moms to reenter the workplace while still being able to put their family’s schedules and needs first.

“It’s an eclectic group of women, but yet with the same frame of mind of wanting to do the work needed so that the company may grow and continue to become an even greater success. It doesn’t feel like getting up and going to work every morning. Everybody is doing and learning new things about business and being able to use their strengths. Also there is a tremendous amount of laughter behind the scenes,” comments Deb. “Our dream is to keep production in South Berwick for as long as the company continues. All of our children go to school in this town, our homes are here, and it’s the town where we can walk down Main Street and run into friends and neighbors.”

“There is always something new just around the corner for The Little Hat Company. We can’t wait till the May/June issue of Yankee Magazine hits newsstands this spring. They featured our hats as one of the must haves for this summer season. Country Women magazine is also putting together a feature article about the business and how it is growing through the efforts of stay at home moms in a small yet very supportive town.

Deb Knowlton, has been sewing since she turned five when her Grandmother taught her how to use a sewing machine. Designing is her favorite aspect of sewing. When a customer of LHC recently requested a strawberry hat, Deb sat down at her machine for a weekend till she got it right. Now months before South Berwick’s annual Strawberry Festival they can’t keep them on the shelves. Deb also is very proud of the My Little Preemie Lid she designed this year for The Little Hat Company. In addition to ramping up production for the upcoming season she is working on developing a line of adult lids for this year’s Pumpkinman Triathlon.

Big things do happen in small towns. In addition to raising an amazing family with her husband Frank, Deb is pursuing a lifelong career dream in South Berwick, Maine. She stitches at home by day and is able to golf and ski on weekends. She will be traveling to Switzerland for a short while looking at new fabrics and design ideas while Frank is working abroad for Timberland, Inc. They will also have a chance to visit with their son Frankie who has been studying in Montauean France for his Junior Year of High school.

I was having friends for dinner and wanted a special dessert. I went to Monkey Business Bakery and told Nicole that my friends love chocolate and birds. The result: an incredible cake that satisfied every kind of chocolate need and was beautifully decorated with a delicate tree with tiny birds perched among the branches.

Monkey Business Bakery is located at 440 Main St. in South Berwick. I suggest that you get your sweet tooth over there and check it out yourself.