Mainebiz

V O L . X X X I N O. I JA N UA R Y 1 3 , 2 0 2 5 6 U.S. Coast Guard facilities in Rockland, Southwest Harbor and Portland were awarded just over $42 million in federal funds to repair facilities damaged in last winter's storms. The money was request- ed by U.S. Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine. The Coast Guard station in Rockland, at 54 Tillson Ave., will receive the bulk of the money, with $40.7 million designat- ed to repair the pier and boathouse. The Southwest Harbor station will receive $880,000 to replace dolphin piles, short ties, lighting and fender systems and piles on the pier. The Portland station will get $502,000 to repair the pier and survey for future dredging. Truform Longevity Center in Falmouth merged its medical practice with North Star Holistic Medicine in Yarmouth. The expanded practice will operate at Foreside Place, 202 U.S. Route 1, Suite 204, in Falmouth. Maine Cancer Foundation in Falmouth said it awarded 14 trans- portation and lodging grants, totaling $717,500, to organizations across the state. The two-year grants, made in partnership with the John T. Gorman Foundation in Portland, will be used to provide support to Maine cancer patients. The University of New England launched a doctor of clinical nutrition degree program. Penobscot General Contractors in Falmouth announced the comple- tion of Congress Square Commons, a project completed under the new MaineHousing Rural Rental Program, featuring 48 affordable housing units in Belfast. KeyBank in Portland said its chari- table sponsorships and KeyBank Foundation grants made to numerous nonprofit organizations in Maine in 2024 totaled $600,000. The Boulos Co., a commercial real estate firm in Portland, announced that Pine State Services, a provider of plumbing, electrical and HVAC, will move its headquarters from Westbrook to 30 Center St. in the Innovation District at the Downs in Scarborough. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Health Resources and Services Administration awarded MaineHealth in Portland a three-year, $667,330 grant to establish new rural obstetric training intensives through the Maine Rural Graduate Medical Education Collaborative. The University of Maine at Augusta hosted a ceremonial groundbreak- ing for the UMA Capital Center for Nursing and Cybersecurity Workforce Development, a $7.15 million state- of-the-art facility for the university's nursing and cybersecurity programs scheduled to be complete by the fall of 2025. B U S I N E S S M A I N E Business news from around the state A retail operation with a range of lotions B y L a u r i e S c h r e i b e r P ickle's Potions and Lotions is a family-run skincare maker that develops its own product lines and opened its first retail store in Winthrop in 2020. That success led to the lease of a second location in Waterville that opened in November. Founded in 2015 by Kristin Mutchler, Pickle's Potions and Lotions uses local herbs and beeswax, unrefined oils and botanical extracts. Its best-selling products are Itch Balm and tick sprays. Mutchler has diplomas and certifications in aroma-der- matology, cosmetic science, cosmetic formulation, aroma- psychology, botany and herbalism, along with two years of nursing school. Her husband, Gary Hunt, is a co-owner and provides web and graphic design, product packaging and labels. Mutcher's entrepreneurial journey started more than 10 years ago. Her newborn daughter suffered from dermatitis and the couple was reluctant to treat it with a steroid cream prescription. At the time, there weren't any natural options on the market, so she researched the benefits of different plants, oils and formulations. She tested products on family and friends. "Now we have a tried-and true-for- mula," she said of that first product, called Eczema Elixir. Subsequent formulations included a product to treat arthritis pain and facial care products. The family's house has two kitchens, so Mutchler claimed the second one for her research lab. Her husband came up with a logo. The two started an Etsy store. For a long time making lotions was a side hustle. "But the best thing we did was attend different events, like makers markets and farmers markets, to talk with people, connect with customers and create relationships," she said. "That was what made us grow the most. People would come back and then send their friends." Mutchler quit teaching in 2019 to focus on the business. In 2020, during the pandemic, the couple found a storefront of about 700 square feet in Winthrop. "We figured we could turn that into my lab," she said. "The upstairs kitchen was too small at that point." She intended to just have the lab there. "But my husband said, 'Let's set up our tables in the front of the store and have, like, a pop-up market but a permanent one," she said. "We tried that and that was a huge hit." Customers who knew the products from craft shows came from as far away as Bangor and Portland. Now she has a 1,200-square-foot lab and packaging facility, which she's rapidly outgrowing. "So many people came in that we had to push the lab back and make the store bigger," she said. "I had to find another place to put the lab, so I went up the street a little bit and found a much bigger lab space." Mutchler got startup help through SCORE Maine and now has 10 part-time employees. The business mainly grew through bootstrap financing. "It grew slowly and organically," she said. "I started with our own money, buying ingredients, and as we sold products I'd buy more ingredients. It was pretty self-sustaining." P H O T O / C O U R T E S Y O F P I C K L E ' S P O T I O N S A N D L O T I O N S EDITOR'S NOTE: With this column, Mainebiz launches the Made in Maine column, which takes a look at the range of products being produced here. From pharmaceuticals to food products to rope and tote bags, Maine has a range of goods. If you have ideas for future columns, send them our way, at pvanallen@mainebiz.biz. SP ONSORED BY Mutchler's hand balm is one of about 80 products developed by Kristin Mutchler of Pickle's Potions and Lotions. Kristin Mutchler N O T E W O R T H Y C E N T R A L & W E S T E R N C E N T R A L & W E S T E R N N O T E W O R T H Y S O U T H E R N S O U T H E R N N O T E W O R T H Y S T A T E W I D E S T A T E W I D E

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