Mainebiz

V O L . X X V I I N O. X X V I N OV E M B E R 2 9 , 2 0 2 1 10 B U S I N E S S M A I N E B U S I N E S S M A I N E B U S I N E S S N E W S F RO M A RO U N D T H E S TAT E Market Basket eyes Topsham for Maine expansion Market Basket may add its third location in Maine — in Topsham — if the town gives an OK to Massachusetts real estate devel- oper John Matthews. Matthews and his company Topsco LLC are preparing to submit a proposal for the project to the Topsham Planning Board, and have sub- mitted a pre-application sketch for the 80,000-square-foot grocery store. It would be at 169 Topsham Fair Mall Road, on a 17.4-acre undeveloped site adjacent to the mall's Target and Home Depot stores. Matthews, based in Newbury, Mass., is also develop- ing the Market Basket at Riverside Landing complex in Plymouth, N.H., and a Market Basket now under construction at Merchants Way in Concord, N.H. A healthy smile can make all the difference. Protect yours with dental insurance backed by the nation's largest network of dentists. NortheastDeltaDental.com STAND OUT IN A SEA OF SAMENESS WITH YOUR SMILE POWER! NEDD_1_2 PAGE_ MAINEBIZ_consumer V2.indd 1 8/19/19 8:03 AM M I D C O A S T & D O W N E A S T A S K AC E A n s w e r e d b y N i c o l e O u e l l e t t e o f A n c h o r S p a c e The Association for Consulting Expertise (ACE) is a non-profit association of independent consultants who value "Success through Collaboration." The public is welcome to attend its regular meetings to share best practices and engage with industry experts. For more information go to www.consultexpertise.com. Q: I'm a freelance service professional. A few months into the COVID shutdown I gave up my office space to work from home. My new neighbor relocated to Maine to work remotely for a business in another state. Both of us are looking for a break and are considering joining a coworking space. What are your thoughts? ACE Advises: Coworking spaces are like gyms. You pay dues, not rent. Most provide a kitchen, internet, utilities, maintenance, and shared conference rooms. Seats are available on a first-come, first-served basis, but you can often pay for a dedicated desk. Coworking is a way to be around other people, reducing the Zoom Gloom isolation many of us feel. COVID affected coworking spaces — memberships dropped — and it may take a while to figure out the lasting impact. Interest has picked up; for those who want to get out of the office a few days a week, coworking may be an option. Nicole Ouellette, owner of AnchorSpace, says, "In my view, coworking spaces will have more 'seats.' This doesn't mean that we'll all add desks. Rather, it means that we will have more members in the same space, with each member spend- ing fewer days each week." Proprietors may look for ways to add value to mem- berships, such as discount arrangements with local busi- nesses. Or they may choose to add programming, geared to the coworking demographic. Ouellette agrees, "I oper- ate a coworking space and run a social media and marketing business. As a Maine ser- vice business, I'm not right for Top Gun and similar programs for product-based businesses. Like many independents, I need hands-on business education. In the gig economy remote workers are looking into side-hustles but do not know where to start. Programming in coworking space makes sense because the people who need it are already there." Nicole Ouellette owns AnchorSpace, with coworking spaces in Bar Harbor and Potsdam, N.Y. She is the founder of Breaking Even Communications, a digital marketing, website management and training firm. She can be reached at nicole@breakingeveninc.com / Carrie Yardley is a contributing writer to Mainebiz, and ACE's vice president.

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