After a restoration by the seller, a Searsport inn that was once a sea captain’s home was acquired by an Arizona couple that plans to build on the property’s revitalized reputation while expanding its focus on “restorative stays and intimate celebrations.”
Three Tides Coastal Investments bought the Captain Nickels Inn at 127 East Main St. from Five Tales Investment and Five Tales Hospitality for an undisclosed price. Dana Moos of Portside Real Estate Group brokered the deal.
Three Tides Coastal Investments is owned by Melissa and Anthony Cardine.
Bed-and-breakfast travel has long been part of the couple’s story.
“In our first few months of dating, we sought out the rest, romance and personal hospitality of inns from the North Shore of Massachusetts to the red rocks of Sedona,” said Melissa Cardine. “Twenty-five years later, it feels full circle that we’re welcoming guests into one. Captain Nickels felt like a place we could honor, pour ourselves into and create the kind of stay that helps people truly exhale.”
The inn, listed on the National Register of Historic Places, was built in 1874 by Capt. A.V. Nickels as a gift to his bride, Elizabeth.
The inn fronts U.S. Route 1 but the property extends over six acres down to Penobscot Bay. The venue includes guest areas such as two sitting rooms, a dining room, a solarium with views of the water, decks and the 1874 Tavern. There are 10 renovated rooms and suites; features that vary by room include fireplaces, private balconies and bay views. The structure features a widow’s walk, ornate exterior trim, and original wood floors, balustrades, and molded arches.
Extensive restoration
The seller was Dawn Gintz, who bought the inn in 2019 and undertook an extensive restoration. Gintz invested more than $1.5 million in renovations, said Moos.
The phased projects included roof repairs, bathroom upgrades, replacing the kitchen and front deck flooring, correcting structural issues, replacing the widow’s walk and a cupola and refinishing original wood floors.
Hallway walls were taken down to the horsehair plaster and new insulation, drywall and electrical systems were installed, with period-correct wainscoting custom-made. A tavern was installed in the building’s Victorian style ballroom. The inn’s marketing includes weddings and events.
Viewing properties
The Cardines said they were drawn to Maine by the way the environment made them feel.
“It’s the natural beauty — the ocean and forest air, the sound of the leaves in the trees and the waves breaking on granite — but it’s also the quiet kindness of a community that feels like home, where people are grounded, genuine and always there to lend a hand,” said Melissa Cardine.
In the fall of 2025, they started looking for a bed-and-breakfast to buy. After touring several properties, the Captain Nickels stood out.
Systems of hosting
Family members still live in Arizona, so the Cardines have kept their home there. Melissa is in Searsport full time and Tony travels back and forth while continuing his career in legal technology.
The Cardines said the transition has been a lot of work.
“A lot of what we’re doing comes from years of Tony and I hosting family and friends in our home,” she said. “Our home has always been the gathering place. We developed systems of hosting, and we always loved taking care of people.”
Her professional experience also lends itself to the venture.
“In the last 10 years, I ran my own two businesses in health care, so I had that experience of what it takes to run a business,” she said.
Cardine credited Gintz for the inn’s extensive renovations.
“Dawn did an amazing job,” she said. “That level of care is a big part of why we wanted this. She completely restored it.”
Collaborations with other local businesses are part of the plan. Shortly after closing, the Cardines walked into Belfast specialty provisions shop Vinolio needing a charcuterie option for an arriving guest; the owners stepped in on short notice.
“That collaboration was amazing,” Cardine said. “We’re looking forward to doing more.”
Further investments will go into refinements of business processes and small details that will aim to elevate guest comfort while preserving the inn’s historic character.
“When you come here, it’s quiet, it’s restorative, it’s a personal experience,” she said. “We’re looking to enhance that.”