V O L . X X V I I I N O. X I I
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L E W I S T O N / A U B U R N / W E S T E R N M A I N E
E
arlier this year, Mainebiz honored Amber Lambke
as one of its Business Leaders of the Year.
Lambke was at the center of Skowhegan's
downtown revitalization, converting the former
Somerset County jailhouse into a grist mill for
Maine Grains Co.
Maine Grains' growth has, in turn, spun off other
businesses. Visiting with Lambke at the Maine
Grains site, it was clear she'd helped propel the
growth but is now watching as other small busi-
nesses grow around her.
A decade into Maine Grains' tenure in the former
jail building, there is now the grist mill, a commu-
nity radio station; a retail store selling Maine Grain
Welder/fabricator Garrett Veinotte
at Maine Wood Heat Co.
P H O T O S / F R E D F I E L D
SKOWHEGAN
comes alive
A downtown rebirth draws
on a collective effort
B y P e t e r V a n A l l e n
Amy Rowbottom
with a cheese wheel
outside her Crooked
Face Creamery.
Nathan Pooler, left, and
Benjamin Wehry prepare the
clay-based inner core of an
oven at Maine Wood Heat Co.
The Bankery & Skowhegan
Fleuriste is an artisanal
bakery, cake shop and florist
in a 19th century bank building.
F O C U S
