🔒Change afoot on Main Street: Rebuilding of Helen’s a bellwether of change in Machias

1 of 3

When Helen's Restaurant was destroyed by fire in July 2014, the loss had both a sentimental and economic impact on a community trying to become a destination rather than a drive-through town.

More than anything, it showed how a small community could pull together to help Helen's staff of 50 through community fundraisers and an online campaign. Some employees were hired by other businesses. That effort was complemented by the Washington County Career Center's rapid response team.

“It was like a death in the family,” Sharon Mack, executive director of the Machias Bay Area Chamber of Commerce, says. “I never saw a community rally so quickly and fully in my life. There were meetings to see who would raise funds when. Helen's always stepped up for others, and that's what people did for them.”

The restaurant dates to 1950 and has had several owners. Over the years, it has been at the center of local life, a meeting place for local organizations and a family-style eatery with good food. It has also been an employer where many residents got their first paychecks as teenagers.

To that point, David and Julie Barker, the owners since 2008, have themselves been involved with the restaurant since they were teens.

“We have been here so long we know how to do every job necessary,” Julie Barker writes via email, taking a moment during the hectic days before reopening. “David orders the stock and pays bills. I make out the schedules, payroll and menu.  We are both on the floor for lunch and dinner almost daily. We try to take a day off, or two, if we are lucky, but are always a phone call away and live within walking distance.”

After the fire, the couple vowed to rebuild. In less than a year, they returned a restaurant similar in footprint, but with improvements to the dining area and kitchen.

“The new concept was to open up the dining space to maximize the view of the river and the fireplace while still having a cozy breakfast counter, and I think that we have accomplished that,” Julie Barker says. “The decor is a mix of rustic and modern with lots of local influences from nature and industry Downeast, like the sea, blueberries and hunting. The back of the house is big and spacious but a bit smaller than before, so it is a little adjustment for some, but we are already trying out the new equipment and getting used to it.”

The reopening is welcome news for residents and for visitors who have long depended on it as a stop, either as part of shopping trips or as a dependable attraction on their travels through Maine. In recent years, the restaurant has even garnered national attention, through mentions in outlets such as National Geographic Traveler, Everyday with Rachael Ray, Parade and Life magazine.

“Helen's is a big presence in town,” says Town Manager Chris Loughlin. “They're a Maine icon, and they're certainly well known outside the area. When people come to Machias, one of things they look for is Helen's.”

At the same time, the rebuild is just one of a variety of downtown developments, as the community works to revitalize its year-round business potential and bolster its identity as a draw for seasonal visitors.

Across from Helen's, the Machias Chamber of Commerce is getting ready for the next phase of conversion of a historic train depot to a visitor center. This summer, $6,000 will go into stabilizing the baggage platform, as part of a complete overhaul, though the organization still hopes to raise an additional $70,000 to $100,000. Sited near scenic and recreational attractions — including the 85-mile Down East Sunrise Trail, a thousand-acre nature preserve and the Machias Bay estuary — the plan is to use the building as a cultural, educational and historical center, with the chamber moving its offices there this fall.

Leading up to Memorial Day, restaurants were freshening up menus and businesses were putting the final touches on building and painting projects.

At the Tex-Mex bar and grille Skywalker's, which opened in 2013, owner Danielle Parker just completed an expansion that involved knocking down a wall and increasing space by a third. A popular venue for live music and billiards, there's now more room for dancing and a second pool table.

Elsewhere on Main Street, branches of Machias Savings Bank and Bangor Savings Bank have both had renovations over the past year.

Machias hopes to capitalize on its status as a regional hub, with a Hannaford, the Down East Community Hospital, the University of Maine at Machias and other businesses and agencies fulfilling everyday needs.

“Most people from 30 miles in any direction come here for shopping,” says Loughlin. “To get anything more, you'd have to go to Ellsworth or Bangor or Calais.”

Unlike neighboring towns, Machias maintains a stable population of 2,200 to 2,500 residents. The hospital, university and, at last count, 12 restaurants, are key employers that keep residents in town. “Without those, we would see a reduction,” says Loughlin. “We're bucking the trend for a lot of the county. A lot of other towns have seen huge decreases in population” over the decades, primarily due to the loss of inxdustry such as sardine-packing plants.

Like many towns in Maine, population growth has been static. There's not much spare land for new home construction. And property taxes higher than surrounding towns might scare off prospective newcomers, Mack says. “As a service center community, 43% of our businesses and agencies are tax-exempt — the hospital, the courthouse, the jail, the university. So to provide the services that people want — police, fire, transfer station — the taxes run a little bit high,” Mack says.

Unemployment here runs higher than the rest of Maine, says Loughlin. If the state unemployment rate is at 5%, then Machias might be at around 7% to 8%. For median household income, Machias in 2012 was $34,725, significantly lower than the state's median of $46,709.

In the downtown, residents and business owners lament the loss of several businesses, including an office supply store and a computer repair shop, as well as the temporary loss of Helen's.

But others have opened and survived. A core of specialty shops and artisan galleries includes The Beehive Collective, an artists' cooperative; the French Cellar, a wine and cheese shop; Columbia Falls Pottery; and Whole Life Natural Market, the only health food store within 65 miles.

No one expected the French Cellar to succeed when it opened in 2011, says owner Betsy French, a retired chef from Maryland. She and her husband landed in neighboring Cutler because its coastal property was “the first ocean we could afford.”

“It's a hard area to come into and open a business,” French says. “It's not booming. But I have a decent customer base. It wouldn't be enough money to raise a family. But for a retiree, it works. My shop has a bit of posh, and people are surprised there's something like that in this area. You think of it for Bar Harbor, but not Machias.”

Next door, Columbia Falls Pottery opened its store in 2013. “I saw the wine and antique stores were successful, so it looked like it was the right time to come to Machias,” says Columbia Falls Pottery owner April Adams, whose customers are predominantly summer residents. “The area is viable enough to make a go of it. It's tough sledding up here. But there are niche markets.”

Adams plans to close the flagship Columbia Falls store, which is about 20 minutes south on Route 1. That would free her to put 100% of her effort into the Machias shop and fully participate in the town's revitalization committee, which supports municipal and chamber projects in order to support and attract businesses, and reverse the town's physical and economic decline. A slow reversal is in process, says Adams.

In the meantime, Machias hopes to attract more visitors and keep them in town for more than a meal, says Loughlin.

“It's hard to get people down to this end of the state,” Loughlin says. “We don't have the traffic going to Canada that we used to have. Since 9/11, that's dried up because of border restrictions and having to have a passport to get back into the United States.”

Parker says Americans traveling to Eastport and Canadians going to Bar Harbor view Machias as a great stop. “They might be starving and they need to stop and eat, and they say, 'Wow, we love this place.' But they don't stay,” Parker says. “We're working with ideas to change that, so Machias isn't just a drive-through town.”

The chamber and individual businesses are working on initiatives to promote the town as a destination for history, culture, scenic and recreational opportunities. These include development of a brochure advertising attractions, tourist publication ads and participation in joint promotion initiatives such as Maine and New Brunswick's “Two-Nation Vacation.”

“You have, for example, a beautiful working waterfront in Jonesport, but no sit-down restaurants and no place to stay. So Machias provides that,” Mack says. “We all work together. If we can get you past Bar Harbor, and get you up here, we've got you.”

Such initiatives are a great step in the right direction, Parker says. “It will take time,” she says. “It's not going to happen next year, but it will happen.”