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V O L . X X X I I N O. X X I S E P T E M B E R 2 1 , 2 0 2 6 6 Number of Maine homes sold in August drops 10% Maine home sales in August declined by 10% from a year ago, even as the median sales price rose. e Maine Association of Realtors reports Maine hit a median sales price of $424,550 last month, reflecting an increase of 4.31% over August 2025. e number is down its peak of $436,000, set in June of this year. Maine's priciest county, Cumberland County, recorded a median sales price of $621,500, less than 1% higher than a year ago while sales rose 3.04%. N O T E W O R T H Y S T A T E W I D E The Dollar General Literacy Foundation announced that it awarded a total of $10,000 in youth literacy grants to four Maine nonprofit organizations, libraries and schools. Recipients included Patricia A. Duran School in Hermon, Atwood Primary School in Oakland, Old Orchard Beach Free Public Library Association and Regional School Unit 40 in Waldoboro. Biddeford drops opposition to UNE research pier In a reversal, the city of Biddeford says it will not stand in the way of the University of New England's proposal to build a pier on the Saco River to be used for research. e pier is designed to be a year-round resource and would replace a seasonal dock. e city's decision follows years of disputes. e pier has already gotten approvals from the Army Corps of Engineers, Saco River Corridor Commission, Maine Department of Environmental Protection and the Biddeford Planning Board. CLYNK to close Biddeford processing facility CLYNK, a South Portland-based bottle redemption and recycling company acquired by a Norwegian firm last year, said it plans to close its Biddeford pro- cessing facility in the coming months and lay off 54 employees. e plant, located at 465 Elm St. in Biddeford, sorts and processes large volumes of returned beverage containers placed in green bags at depots in Hannaford parking lots across Maine. B U S I N E S S M A I N E Business news from around the state S T A T E W I D E S O U T H E R N Cumberland belt maker creates wearable art B y S l o a n e M . P e r r o n J im Taylor founded the Belted Cow Co. in 2004 with a challenge: reinvent the classic ribbon belt. More than 20 years later, Belted Cow's ribbon belts have become a line of colorful, artist-designed belts for people and pets. Coming from a consulting background, Taylor looked at how the casual ribbon belt was a long-standing part of men's clothing but had not moved far beyond typical navy and white anchor patterns. Taylor, his wife and a silent partner decided the ribbon designs had to be unique and created by local artists, while the belts had to meet higher quality standards. Artists like Eric Hopkins, Jennifer Paradee, Jim Williams and LK Weiss create original designs specifically for Belted Cow. At the warehouse store and headquarters in Cumberland, hundreds of colorful belt designs range from classic and nautical to quirky and bright, with some even containing secret messages. Belty the Cow, the company mascot, is also hidden in some designs in a Where's Waldo-style search. Calling ribbon belts the company's main product, Taylor says Belted Cow has experimented with hats, flip-flops, keychains and tote bags, but has found particular success with pet products. Hand-sewn in Cumberland, dog collars and leashes have become increasingly popular and some even come with matching belts for pet parents. Belted Cow also creates custom-branded ribbon for businesses, universities, yacht clubs and golf teams. Digital marketing and social media brought Belted Cow's products to new customers and accelerated the company's growth. According to Taylor, while Belted Cow typically expe- rienced 5% to 10% revenue growth each year, it has seen 30% to 40% growth over the past four years. With seven full-time employees and subcontractors in Bangor and Lewiston, Taylor credits specific Maine business organizations that helped the company. "Maine businesses help Maine businesses. They helped us find solutions and said, 'let's make this work.' I do not think we could have done this any place else," Taylor explains. More than 20 years after founding Belted Cow, Taylor believes the company's growth has come from updating the designs while keeping the basic belt the same. "Thirty years ago, kids were buying these belts, and they're still buying them. Same for people in their 80s and 90s," Taylor says. "The utility of just a simple webbing belt to hold your pants up has been around since the Boy Scouts, and we've adjusted how it looks and the designs, but it's timeless." SP ONSORED BY Jim Taylor Maine businesses help Maine businesses. They helped us find solutions and said, 'let's make this work.' I do not think we could have done this any place else. — Jim Taylor Belted Cow Co. P H O T O / T I M G R E E N WAY P H O T O / T I M G R E E N WAY P H O T O / T I M G R E E N WAY A Vacationland leash is stitched at Belted Cow in Cumberland. Belted Cow's one-of-a-kind belts can be found at its Warehouse Store in Cumberland, at select retailers, or online.

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