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W W W. M A I N E B I Z . B I Z 3 M AY 1 9 , 2 0 2 5 V I E W P O I N T S From the Editor M aine's business community is the tale of two economies: On one hand we have large employers like MaineHealth, the shipyards in Bath and Kittery, WEX, IDEXX, Covetrus and L.L.Bean, to name a handful. ese would be the companies that are part of the largest share of Maine's total workforce. On the other hand, we have small businesses — the firms with one to 50 employees that make up the vast majority of businesses in Maine. For any business of any size right now, there's a lot of uncertainty out there. As we hear all the time, business leaders can cope with changes in laws, regulations and the economy. You can plan for those changes. e thing that stresses out leaders more than anything is the unknown. And that's what busi- nesses are facing right now. For our cover story, "Trouble in Toyland," Deputy Editor Renee Cordes talks to people in Maine's $300 million toy industry about one of the cloudiest forecasts: the impact of tariffs. Even as we go to press, the issue is in negotiations. e national trade group, the Toy Association, was blunt about it in a recent newsletter: "Christmas 2025 [is] at risk." e toy shop owner that Renee spoke with was a bit more stoic about the situation: "We just try to keep our chin up and hope for the best," she said. Renee's story starts on Page 16. For many small businesses, locating a need is the difference between suc- cess and failure. For the story "Filling a niche," Senior Writer Laurie Schreiber talked to a few specialty businesses about how they figured out their place in the market. A Cape Elizabeth lumber yard had to decide whether it wanted to be a hardware store or the business customers sought out when they were "building things." Laurie's story starts on Page 24. Peter Van Allen pvanallen@mainebiz.biz Featured @ Mainebiz.biz For a daily digest of Maine's top business news, sign up for the Mainebiz Daily Report at mainebiz.biz/enews Mainebiz offers the latest business news in the Daily Report and the Real Estate Insider newsletters. Here is the top content from April 29 to May 13: 1. Long-time hospitality professional acquires two Ogunquit hotels 2. Portland business owners, residents urge city to combat downtown crime wave 3. A proposal for unified 'Old Port Square' would include build of Maine's tallest building 4. Escalating costs and zoning restrictions sideline Portland housing projects 5. Boutique hotel in Skowhegan's repurposed Spinning Mill set to open 6. The Eagle has landed: Massachusetts bank to set to open its first Maine branch this summer 7. Clothing retailer with Utah roots finds new home in Portland's Old Port 8. Farnsworth Art Museum expands campus with Rockland acquisition 9. Maine's coolest careers? Think boots, boats & beer 10. Northern Light claws back $49M for pandemic P H O T O / C O U R T E S Y P R I N C I PA L H O S P I TA L I T Y 1 We're attorneys. But we're people first. Meet Steve. A seasoned tax attorney with a focus on family- and employee- owned businesses, Steve partners with clients from startup through exit, advising on strategic business structures that align with their long-term goals. bernsteinshur.com Steven R. Gerlach Shareholder Small business tackles big issues For any business of any size right now, there's a lot of uncertainty out there.

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