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V I E W P O I N T S W W W. M A I N E B I Z . B I Z 3 M AY 1 8 , 2 0 2 6 We're attorneys. But we're people first. Meet Anne-Marie. Dedicated, trusted, and community-driven, Anne-Marie is a recognized leader in employment law with more than two decades of experience guiding businesses through complex workplace challenges. bernsteinshur.com Anne-Marie Storey Senior Counsel From the Editor S mall businesses make up 99% of the companies in Maine and 54% of the overall workforce. Yet why do so many small business owners feel like they have to crawl through barbed wire to make it all work? In the most recent year tracked by the U.S. Small Business Administration, 6,444 establishments opened in Maine, while 5,717 closed. at's a net gain of 727. What happened in the case of the businesses that closed? at part of the story is not offered in the SBA's "2025 Small Business Profile" for Maine. But our cover story, which looks at the costs of running a small business, offers some insights. Deputy Editor Renee Cordes talked to a range of business owners. And, in short, they had a lot on their minds. "e hardest part of running [this business] is staying ahead of costs," a small food manufacturer told Renee. Higher costs are only part of the story. e market for workers is still tight. Regulations are a constant headache. But a juice producer says she's working by a guiding principle: "Adapt or die." Elsewhere in the issue, we look at a town that might be a barometer for the health of Maine's downtowns. Ellsworth has a population of roughly 9,000, which is up 7% from the 2020 census. It has a combination of big-box stores on the main thoroughfare, U.S. Route 1, which is a gateway of sorts to Acadia National Park and Downeast locations. But it also has a distinctive down- town made up primarily of independent retailers. Senior Writer Laurie Schreiber talks to some of the downtown's new retailers, who are drawn by active foot traffic and historic buildings — a downtown with good bones, as they say. "One of the biggest opportunities we have in Ellsworth is within our existing buildings," says a local economic development official. At a downtown bakery, the owner takes note of a typical day's customer base: "We have moms with little kids. We had a day camp come in yesterday, 12 kids. A couple of veterans come in a couple of times a week, sit here, get their coffee and their breakfast." 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 1 to May 8. 1. Prospective Bangor Mall buyer wants to develop condos and marketplace 2. Historic Sagamore Village housing community in Portland gets full makeover 3. Freeport's movie theater — vacant since 2020 — to reopen this spring 4. Friday Food Insider: Falmouth's Old Smith Farm will reopen under new ownership 5. Regulatory snafu stalls Maine's modular industry 6. MaineHealth to relocate HQ from downtown Portland to Westbrook 7. Butcher shop and deli to open in Portland 8. Proposal at Rock Row calls for 250 housing units, 120-room hotel 9. Stage set for explosive WEX shareholders meeting 10. Portland invites community input on future of Midtown properties F I L E P H O T O / C O U R T E S Y T E N - X 1 One small business owner says she's working by a guiding principle: 'Adapt or die.' It's no lie: running a business is hard work

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