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V O L . X X I I I N O. X I I I J U N E 1 2 , 2 0 1 7 18 A year into operations and looking forward to a summer surge of shoppers, Sarah Cronin and Natalya Nikitina — owners of Rustic Arrow, a "free-spirited contemporary boutique" at 25 Bow St. in Freeport — are planning new events to grow the customer base. " e store is a culmination of everything we talked about — gifts and women and clothing," Cronin says on a recent weekday afternoon, before peak visitation in mid-summer through early autumn. e idea of hosting events started accidentally. eir workshops now draw 10 to 15 people, mostly local residents. "And now we're thinking that, because that's been so popular, maybe we should do parties, like a girls-night-out-type party," Cronin says. e shop is one of many small, independent businesses on Freeport's side streets that vie for just a fraction of the 3 million visitors a year that visit L.L.Bean's fl agship campus and surrounding outlet stores. ey're fi nding that even having a major anchor nearby doesn't guarantee that shoppers will come to your door. Like small businesses everywhere, they're fi nding ways to promote their businesses, through events, social media and collaboration. Turn the corner Expanding the visiting public's awareness of Freeport's small businesses is a theme in Freeport. Businesses are tackling the challenge through their own intiatives, like those of Rustic Arrow, and through the organized eff orts of the Greater Freeport Chamber of Commerce, a traditional local business networking group; and Freeport USA, a destination marketing organization that specializes in events and promotions. Small-business owners see plenty of opportunity — and in fact located in Freeport precisely because of the visitor numbers generated by L.L.Bean and outlet stores like Gap, Banana Republic, e North Face, Sperry, Orvis, Patagonia, Jockey, Oakley and Brooks Brothers, to name just a handful. Freeport also a base for restaurants and lodging. Among independent retailers, there are long- time operations, like e Mangy Moose gift shop, started by Susan Culkins in 1996, and Earrings & Co., which was founded in 1993 and has been owned for the past decade by Carrie McBride. Others are more recent arrivals, like the Rustic Arrow; Mom's Organic Munchies, started in 2009 by Betty Crush and now selling wholesale nation- wide; Vintage Maine Kitchen, started in 2015 by Kelly and Scott Brodeur and leveraging Maine- made potatoes to create small-batch potato chips; and Skordo, a spice shop started by Cari and John Karonis earlier this year. Cheaper rents off the beaten track With the national chains taking up Freeport's center, the small businesses tend to congregate at the far ends of Main Street or down the side streets, where the real estate is cheaper — as low as $20 a square foot, versus $50 per square foot in the village center. P H O T O / T I M G R E E N WAY F O C U S We reject the idea that We reject the idea that We reject the idea that We reject the idea that We reject the idea that We reject the idea that We reject the idea that We reject the idea that We reject the idea that We reject the idea that We reject the idea that We reject the idea that We reject the idea that We reject the idea that Freeport is an outlet mall Freeport is an outlet mall Freeport is an outlet mall Freeport is an outlet mall Freeport is an outlet mall Freeport is an outlet mall Freeport is an outlet mall Freeport is an outlet mall Freeport is an outlet mall Freeport is an outlet mall Freeport is an outlet mall Freeport is an outlet mall Freeport is an outlet mall on the street. That might have been the case years ago. But Freeport is a business hub town. — Keith McBride Freeport economic development director Natalya Nikitina, left, and Sarah Cronin, co-owners of Rustic Arrow in Freeport, host workshops to draw customers to their Bow Street store. In the land of L.L.Bean and outlet stores, small businesses find their way B y L a u r i e S c h r e i b e r

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