Old Port lures Down East eateries
Photo/Robert M. Cook
Linda Parker, owner of Mount Desert Island Ice Cream, opened her third shop in the Old Port last week
As temperatures soared above 90 degrees in downtown Portland last week, Linda Parker, owner of Mount Desert Island Ice Cream, couldn't work fast enough to open her new store at 51 Exchange St.
On Thursday, she and Diane Russell, a friend of Parker's and state representative from Portland, were busy setting up the company's third ice cream shop with all of Parker's delicious flavors. Parker has been making ice cream at her company's two Bar Harbor locations since 2006.
Her move to Portland's Old Port represents an opportunity to grow her wholesales revenue, she says.
"I had quite a few wholesale inquiries from scoop shops that wanted to serve my ice cream" here in the Greater Portland region, she says. By opening the new store downtown, Parker sees it as a way to establish a stronger presence in a market that presents potential for growth.
And Parker is not alone. Michael Boland and Deirdre Swords, owners of Havana, a restaurant in Bar Harbor, in December signed a lease for an 8,000-square-foot space at 44-52 Wharf St. for the Havana South restaurant, which will open June 22.
"We opened our second version of Havana in Portland because we like Portland," says Boland in an e-mail. "Because Portland is year round. And because Portlanders have been fans of the Bar Harbor version." The restaurant will be hiring 60 more people, 40 of whom will work full-time with benefits. The eatery will include a bar and lounge, as well as space to accommodate up to 50 guests for private parties.
"There will however be some similarities: Great food, great service, fine dining but not fussy atmosphere, and great music too," Boland says.
Besides Mount Desert Island Ice Cream and Havana, Coastal Maine Popcorn Co., a Boothbay-based business, opened a year-round shop on 43 Exchange St. in December to sell its specialty gourmet popcorn. Attempts to get comment from owner Paul Roberts were unsuccessful.
Parker says one of the things that influenced her decision is that Portland has a strong reputation as a gourmet food destination, and she views her ice cream as part of that fare. "I am really excited to be here because it is a very foodie city," she says.
Parker says that Mount Desert Island Ice Cream is leasing 1,548 square feet and will use 600 square feet for the retail space. The company employs 18 to 20 part-time employees in Bar Harbor and usually expands its work force during the summer months.
Parker would not disclose her company's sales last year, but maintains the company's expansion into the Old Port is supported by "good year-over-year growth."
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