In a world that seems to be spinning faster, it’s a wonderful opportunity to bring up a family in a town that allows you to walk not run.   I remember coming home from a business trip to N.Y.C. and literally thanking God that we don’t have even one single stop light in our town.  I had spent two days in a cab trying to get to three scheduled appointments in an absolute scramble for time.  Traffic, crowds, impatience, and smog seemed to be the daily theme and it was hard to catch your breath walking down the streets filled with people, vendors, and construction barriers.  Don’t get me wrong.  The city can be an explosive energy and catalyst for getting major things accomplished.  When the sun goes down and the lights turn on there is something so magical that you feel like a child right before opening a present.

When I would come home to South Berwick I would always let out a sigh of relief knowing that I could just slow down and enjoy each and every moment without someone behind me needing to get somewhere.  One of the main reasons coming home would be so satisfying was knowing that I was raising my children in a small town community surrounded by endless opportunities.

South Berwick, Maine is the quintessential place to place to plant your roots.  I have three children ages 14, 7, and 2.   My oldest will be starting high school next year.  He has been playing on a sports team since he started school here which he loves.  He is an honor roll student and will be able to take advantage of the many great classes offered to him that let him stretch out of his comfort zone.  He loves South Berwick and especially Main Street.  He was sad when Flynn’s closed but loves to be able to hop on his bike with his friends and ride to the fields or grab ice cream at Aggies.   My 7 year old loves walking to school.  She loves to wave to the crossing guards, and picking up chestnuts that have fallen from the trees.  Her favorite activities are soccer, piano, and cheering on at team that is known for bringing home national championships.  Most of all she loves playing with her friends.  My 2 year old’s most favorite thing to do is walking around the block through Main Street with her Dad and then going to the playground near the fire station.

We live in a town where the Principal of our elementary school quietly and with dedication works to make sure all of our children’s needs are met.  One of her first acts was to put up a fence around the school yard.  We live in a town where countless parents and residents volunteer endless hours, money, and sweat to make sure that each child has a team to play on if they choose.  We live in a town where retired people give endless hours to volunteer in school to help children outside of the classroom and we live in a town where parents are more than willing to offer a hand with car pooling and making time for neighbors when they need help.

One of the reasons Strawberry Festival is so successful is that people visiting our town on that very special day get a glimpse of the character, altruism, and good will that our community seems to have in abundance.  South Berwick is a great town and seems to bring out the very best in people and I’m very proud to be living here with my family.

–Jen Houghton

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

Place of birth of U.S. born South Berwick residents based on 2000 U.S. Census data:
Born in Maine: 20%
Born in another state: 80%

That doesn’t get at it. 80% of us were born in another state, but that includes people who were born in Dover and Portsmouth who were brought home to South Berwick. The 20% born in Maine includes those who lived in other Maine towns and moved here. So my only conclusion: A lot of us were born out of state.

Then I looked at the data from the 2000 Census where residents were asked when they had moved into their current home. Here is what I found:

Again this doesn’t get at it either. This includes people who moved from one home in South Berwick to another. But it does show a lot of movement. In 2000 57% of South Berwick residents had moved into their home in the last ten years and only 11% had lived in their home for more than thirty years.

The Census data couldn’t answer my question about how many natives, long time residents, and new comers there are here. So that leads me to my question:

When did you come to South Berwick and what brought you here?

I’ll tell you my answer in the comments and you do the same.

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.

Beleaguered South Berwick Town Manager alleges ‘Right-to-Know …
Foster’s Daily Democrat
Embattled Town Manager Jeff Grossman believes Town Council members violated the state’s Right-to-Know law Monday during a closed-door executive session…

Letter outlines cause for South Berwick Town Manager dismissal
Foster’s Daily Democrat
There is sufficient cause to remove Town Manager Jeff Grossman from office, and he has been offered a buyout package in exchange for his resignation, according to a private letter written by the town’s attorney….

Economic panel chair will stay in South Berwick
Foster’s Daily Democrat
Dennis Fontaine, the chair of the Economic Development Committee, won’t be resigning after all….

For more information about volunteering, or if you are a South Berwick resident needing a ride, please call (207)384-3311. The South Berwick Rotary Club and Rotary Foundation also provides financial support for wheelchair van transportation to medical appointments. Please call 384-3311 to schedule van service.

South Berwick Town Manager asked to leave
Foster’s Daily Democrat
Town Manager Jeff Grossman insisted he “isn’t going anywhere” after acknowledging Monday night at a Town Council meeting that a member or members of the council asked him to resign…

S. Berwick boss may lose his job
Portsmouth Herald
Town Manager Jeffrey Grossman announced publicly on Monday that the Town Council has asked him to resign his position or it will take legal steps to remove him…

the236diner recap of the meeting is in a previous post .

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Tickets are still available for the annual Great Works Regional Land Trust Spring Auction, scheduled for Sat., …

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For the love of music: Elysium Arts Folk Club brings live music to …
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Blink as you drive northeast out of Dover you just might miss the quaint li’l town of Rollinsford. It would be more of a shame than you might …

Eliot dispatch service to switch?
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After years of a handshake agreement that had Kittery dispatching for Eliot, the selectmen recently considered a proposal from South Berwick to take over …

Monkey Business Bakery, one of South Berwick’s newest businesses opened this week on lower Main Street. Dover residents Jake and Nicole Bouchard rented the space vacated by Hot Dog Heaven in October and spent months fitting up the baking kitchen and the showroom.

Jake and Nicole both grew up in central Maine. Nicole learned her craft at the New England Culinary Institute in Vermont. They knew they wanted to locate their bakery in a small town and when they found the space in South Berwick they decided to go for it. Jake explains the name, “We both have a thing for monkeys and Nicole had to do a business plan as an assignment when she was at the Culinary Institute and used the name in that. We liked it so decided to use it here.”

The bakery offers cakes, cheesecakes, breakfast pastries, tarts and cookies, all made from scratch using simple high quality ingredients. Nicole’s passion is cakes and the bakery will always have a selection on hand. Special orders are available with advanced notice. Nicole loves to make fancy sculpted art cakes and plans to offer them once the business gets more established.

I didn’t get to try a cake yet but I did get some cookies and brownies for tonight’s dessert. I couldn’t wait for dessert though and tried a double chocolate cookie this afternoon. It was perfect, tender and crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside with a beautiful balance of high quality chocolate, butter, and fresh flour with just the right touch of sweetness. If the cookie is any indication, I expect the cakes to be sublime.

Monkey Business Bakery also serves coffee and has a couple of tables for eating in. The are open Tuesday through Friday from 7 AM to 4 PM, Saturday 8 AM to 4 PM, and Sunday 9 AM until 2 PM. They are located at 440 Main St. in South Berwick, across from Fogarty’s.