Mainebiz

V O L . X X X I I N O. X I M AY 1 8 , 2 0 2 6 30 S M A L L B U S I N E S S F O C U S "If they're in Maine, they're always looking to fill, say, Tuesday night. 'We'll play for popcorn,'" Peer jokes. "Of course, we treat them better than that." He adds, "at commitment to music is a really good business model." Backdoor bagels Stanwood's baker and kitchen manager, Kara Bickford, wears a second "toque" — operating her own business, Honey & Lace Baking Co., out of the pub's space. Bickford recently launched Sunday Morning Bagels at the Backdoor at the Black Moon, with an honor payment system, featuring fresh bagels, cinnamon rolls and other treats. Bickford opened Honey & Lace in 2019 as a licensed home bakery in Sedgwick. Outgrowing the space, she moved to Black Moon last summer, now operating a licensed commercial bakery for catering, retail and whole- sale production. "I am thrilled with my new digs," she says. Another business there is a gift shop called Trio. en there's Vinyl Vogue Music & Records, where owner Matt Manry offers new and used records, receivers, turntables, accessories, wall art, clothes and more. Originally from Atlanta, Manry vis- ited Maine 12 years ago and never went home. Working in Portland, his side gigs included electronics repairs, collecting records and selling them online. His move to Ellsworth resulted from a notice Peer had posted, seeking a music-related enterprise to help fill out the Newberry Exchange. Manry had enough inventory from his online record business to start a brick-and- mortar shop. Ellsworth welcomed him. "When we were opening and put- ting out the word, I had a lot of people give me their records," he says. "ey weren't doing anything with them. ey thought it was cool their stuff was going somewhere." Electronics and guitar repairs fill out the business. "I had no idea how big that would be," he says. Kitchen junkets Tucked into a side road parallel to Main Street, the Conscious Café is run by Jesse Steiger, who seeks to foster a sense of community. "Tonight we're doing a pizza night. We'll have live music after that," he says. Hailing from Massachusetts, then Vermont, Steiger's background includes farming and cooking. During a challenging period in his life, he moved to Ellsworth. At the café — occupying part of a building owned by another business, Steamy Buddha Yoga — Steiger features Asian- themed items like chai and "Buddha bowls" and events like community dinners and pizza nights. "We do kitchen junkets on Monday nights — potlucks with 25, 30 people," he says. "We move the tables, do a sing- along, have good musicians." Advertising by word-of-mouth and social media, Steiger gets local residents and wants to figure out how to bring in more drive-by traffic. "Google is the other way people find me," he says. "ey look up 'coffee' and then they come here." Jamaican flavors Acadia 876 Bar and Grill, a morning-to- midnight spot featuring familiar dishes from lobster to omelets, was recently get- ting ready to roll out Jamaican breakfast items like saltfish and peanut porridge. Jason Fowler and Clive Tyrell hail from Jamaica — 876 is the island nation's area code — and started the eatery after working in restaurants and hospitality in the U.S. for years. In 2022, Fowler became a co-owner of Pat's Pizza in Bar Harbor. C O N T I N U E D O N PA G E 3 2 » » C O N T I N U E D F RO M P R E V I O U S PA G E I got tired of working for everyone else and asked, 'What does Ellsworth need? — Katina Stanwood Black Moon Public House When we were opening and putting out the word, I had a lot of people give me their records. — Matt Manry Vinyl Vogue Music & Records P H O T O / L A U R I E S C H R E I B E R From left, Kara Bickford, Steve Peer and Katina Stanwood run the Black Moon Public House and Honey & Lace Baking Co. in the middle of downtown Ellsworth. P H O T O / C O U R T E S Y O F H O N E Y A N D L A C E Kara Bickford, at Honey & Lace Baking in downtown Ellsworth, with a wedding cake. At Vinyl Vogue Music & Records, owner Matt Manry found a whole new generation discovering vinyl. Tucked into a side road above Main Street, the Conscious Café is run by Jesse Steiger, who seeks to foster a sense of community. P H O T O / L A U R I E S C H R E I B E R P H O T O / L A U R I E S C H R E I B E R

• Cover