Champions of Heart of Ellsworth celebrate becoming a nationally accredited Main Street Community! Top L to R: Jon Stein, Tabatha White, Eliza Worrick, Stephanie Leonardi, Erik Jackson, Karin Otto, Noah D., DJ Graiff, Randall Simons, Phyllis Young, Jesse Steiger, Hailee Carter, Michael Reisman, Beth Fendl, Celeste Deeny, Payden Maddocks-Wilbur, Cara Romano, Janice Buckingham, Eric Columber, Peter Lione, Berit Becker, Zabet NeuCollins.
Heart of Ellsworth is thrilled to announce that we have become an accredited National Main Street Community, thanks to the unwavering support and collaborative efforts of our municipality, volunteers, board, and staff. This designation is a reason to celebrate, especially for small businesses and entrepreneurs, who will benefit significantly from this national accreditation.
Since 2016, Heart of Ellsworth has collaborated with others to champion artistic, cultural, educational, economic, environmental, and historical activities in Ellsworth. Our goal is simple: to foster a vibrant and strong community. Our collaborative efforts include working with local groups like the City of Ellsworth, Ellsworth Public Library, Ellsworth Chamber of Commerce, and others to preserve and improve our downtown assets.
In the last eight years, downtown Ellsworth has changed remarkably: we now have a 3% storefront vacancy rate, down from 50% in 2016. This rate proves the effectiveness of collaborative and focused revitalization efforts.
A Main St. America designation makes downtown appealing and supports local businesses through grants, resources, and expertise. For instance, Main Street communities gain access to valuable funding opportunities like Community Development Block Grants. These Grants, administered by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), play a crucial role in supporting community and economic development at the local level.
As an Main St. affiliate community, we were awarded the Entrepreneur Ecosystem Building in Rural Maine Grant. This grant allowed us to create a page on our website dedicated to entrepreneurs (Entrepreneur Resource Hub), develop a monthly e-newsletter to share resources, events, and support for business owners and entrepreneurs in the Ellsworth area, and to hire a Program Coordinator in January 2024.
Since 1980, Main Street programs have generated a staggering $79 billion in investment nationwide, establishing nearly 144,000 businesses and creating more than 640,000 jobs. This proven model encourages independent, locally-owned shops to thrive and reinvest in the local economy.
Ellsworth's historic buildings, diverse dining options, locally owned shops, and cultural attractions make it a unique year-round destination. Our rich cultural resources, including the Ellsworth Public Library, The Grand Theater, Courthouse Gallery, and Woodlawn Museum, are a source of pride for our community. Unlike some other nearby coastal towns, most of our downtown businesses remain open year-round, capturing tourists even in the off-season.
We are a hard-working community dedicated to supporting each other and making sure our town is a place to visit, shop, work in, and call home. Visitors are drawn to places with a strong sense of community, and a vibrant downtown creates an inviting atmosphere where businesses and people can flourish together.
Michelle Beal, an Ellsworth resident and the Chair of the Ellsworth City Council, shared, "The Main Street designation is an invaluable asset in supporting the City's continued growth and vibrancy, especially in its downtown area. As the business and professional hub of Hancock County, this designation is a monumental step in ensuring the City becomes a model for work-life balance. It amplifies the pride Ellsworth has in its historic, walkable downtown and riverfront."
Heart of Ellsworth is overjoyed and proud to receive this Main Street America Designation. We extend our heartfelt thanks to each and every one of you who has sought our services and has contributed time and effort to make this designation come to be. We couldn't have achieved this without your invaluable support and dedication!
See Ellsworth’s newly posted profile page on Main Street Maine’s website, and don’t hesitate to reach out to us if you want your businesses to be featured. Learn more about Main Street America.
STILL AVAILABLE
2024 Downeast Cider + Cheese Festival
Sponsorship Opportunities
Tickets for the 2024 Downeast Cider + Cheese Festival (happening Nov. 8-10) will be on sale soon. Grab your opportunity to get in front of potential customers and get great visibility during the festival with one of the remaining sponsorship opportunities. The festival features a variety of free and ticketed events with engaged and diverse participants.
Check out our remaining sponsorship spots and reserve yours now to take advantage of all of the pre-event promotions:
2024 Downeast Cider + Cheese Festival Sponsorship Opportunities:
Hannah Horecka opened Quiet Strength Yoga in October 2014 with the goal of helping others experience the physical, emotional, and health benefits she has seen through her own yoga practice. This October she will be celebrating 10 years of operating!
Quiet Strength Yoga is a simple and sunny yoga studio located right in the heart of Ellsworth on the Second Floor of 83 Main Street in Ellsworth, and is committed to providing a safe and inclusive environment for students to experience the countless benefits of a regular yoga practice.
Hannah is a 500 hour Certified Advanced Yoga Teacher and was trained in Hatha Vinyasa yoga and other healing arts at ShivaShakti School of Yoga & Healing Arts in Union, Maine. She offers classes at times convenient for most schedules and practices, including Hatha Vinyasa Yoga, Prenatal Yoga, Yoga Nidra, Thai Yoga Bodywork (Levels I & II), Pranayama (Breathwork), and Meditation.
Visit Quiet Strength Yoga this October and congratulate Hannah for ten years being in business!
October events include: October 6 @ 2-3pm ~ Free Outdoor Yoga at Knowlton Park October 13 @ 2-3pm ~ Body Bootcamp Yoga in studio October 20 @ 1-3:15pm ~ Open House: 1pm – Free Hatha Yoga, 2pm – Social & Refreshments, 2:45pm – Free Yoga Nidra October 27 @ 6-7pm ~ Black Light Yoga
Unlocking Creative Potential:
New Offerings from the Maine Arts Commission
Ellsworth Public Library - Thursday, Sept. 26 at 2 PM
Join us for an engaging and informative event with the staff ofThe Maine Arts Commission as they visit Ellsworth to unveil their latest initiatives. Hosted by Heart of Ellsworth, Commission staff will highlight their new Creative
Communities Grant, a unique funding opportunity designed to support and enhance local cultural projects, and introduce Assets for Artists, a program offering free professional development resources for artists and cultural leaders.
This is a fantastic chance for municipal and community leaders, nonprofit cultural leaders, artists, culture makers, and arts advocates to connect with the Commission’s team, learn about these exciting new programs, and explore how they can benefit your work and community. Don’t miss this opportunity to gain valuable insights and build connections.
FMI contact cara@heartofellsworth.org or martha.piscuskas@maine.gov.
Ellsworth Area Business Training Info Session
FREE
Wednesday, Oct. 2
4-5 pm
The Ellsworth Adult & Community Education Center is working with the Ellsworth Area Chamber of Commerce to bring relevant and individualized business training to our community. This is an in-person session, an online session is available Oct. 3 at 12 pm.
WorkReadyTM Credential is a workforce training program designed to prepare participants for the attitudinal and disciplinary rigors of employment and to provide a highly structured simulated work environment that encourages the behavior required for workplace success.
Business Training-Designed for Your Employees: They will design this training to meet the unique needs of your business. They have experience with task analysis of specific jobs to design and deliver relevant training. Examples have included training people to write effective notes in healthcare charts, reading instructions and writing notes in a variety of local settings as well as technology training (i.e., Excel and Google Suites for businesses and nonprofits). These trainings are cost effective and responsive to the business needs.
Harold Alfond Center for the Advancement of Maine’s Workforce offers funding for pre-hire training, incumbent worker training, and scholarships. Get assistance in accessing this incredible resource for accessing training!
To register for this session or to learn more about how they can work with you to build a strong workforce in our community, please reach out to Annie Sargent, Director at 207.664.7110 (voice), 207.613.6460 (text), or email sargent@ellsworthschools.org.
Ellsworth Adult & Community Education Center
11 Avery Lane
Ellsworth, ME 04605
Ellsworth Adult & Community Education is a program of Ellsworth Schools, a department of the City of Ellsworth, and is generously funded and operated by the school district. View all of their business course offeringshere.
Union River Center for Innovation -
Remote Worker/Homebased Business Mixer
Join the Union River Center for Innovation (URCI) for their Business Mixer for remote workers and homebased businesses on October 3 at 4:30 pm. Enjoy networking, connecting with like-minded people, refreshments and a seminar by Joshua Howe, Deputy Executive Director for Workforce Training and Remote Working at the Harold Alfond Center for the Advancement of Maine’s Workforce.
For more information and the RSVP link, check out their Facebook event.
You can also stay up-to-date on all URCI news and events with their new monthly newsletter. Learn more here and sign up here.
Join Heart of Ellsworth for a special ribbon-cutting ceremony to celebrate the grand opening of our new makerspace in Downtown Ellsworth! This exciting new space will feature an exhibition gallery, artist studios, offices, and coworking spaces, providing a vibrant environment for creativity and collaboration in our community.
The ribbon-cutting will occur at 5:00 PM, followed by a chance to explore the building and learn more about this exciting new space. The first show will be “The Life of the River,” an art exhibition by the local high school students from Ellsworth High School.
Interested in renting out a studio or co-working space? This is the perfect commitment-free way to tour the property. We look forward to seeing you there.
Thanks to our sponsor, Rudman Winchell, for making this event possible.
Downtown Building for Sale
108 Main St.
A beautiful building in downtown with 7,400 square feet of commercial use space including street-level offices as well as second floor apartments and an office.
PRICE DROP:
Entrepreneurial Finance Workshop Series
Are you an entrepreneur or aspiring entrepreneur navigating the early stages of your business journey? Join Main Street Skowhegan and the National Coalition for Community Capital for their Entrepreneurial Finance Workshop Series, a 7-part virtual series designed to equip you with the financial knowledge and resources needed to succeed. Whether you're in the ideation phase or within your first three years of operation, this series is tailored just for you!
September 17 - Workshop 1: Bootstrapping and Self-Funding September 24 - Workshop 2: Integrating Community Capital October 1 - Workshop 3: Crowdfunding and Alternative Funding Platforms October 15 - Workshop 4: Traditional Financing: Loans and Lines of Credit October 29 - Workshop 5: Equity Financing: Angel Investors and Venture Capital November 12 - Workshop 6: Grants, Subsidies and Government Programs November 19 - Workshop 7: A Panel on Strategic Partnerships and Collaborations
Time: 4:00 PM - 5:30 PM (Virtual Sessions) NEW PRICING: $15 per workshop or $60 for all workshops
SCORE Maine hosts affordable small business workshops -- both online webinars and live, in-person. Find everything you need to know to start a business and discover tools to help your small business grow.
UPCOMING WORKSHOPS
But What Do I Post? - September 20, 12 pm - This workshop will focus on the anatomy of social media posting and how to deconstruct it into bite-sized steps.
QuickBooks Online - Behind the Scenes - September 30, 6 pm - Join SCORE for a foundational workshop on QuickBooks Online, where you'll focus on understanding the basics of accounting and how QuickBooks records and stores transactions.
Marketing Channels: Advertising Your Business - October 16, 12 pm - Join this interactive workshop and learn how to supercharge your small business's online presence through effective marketing strategies.
For a list of all upcoming events and workshops, click here.
The CEI Women’s Business Center is a home for women who want to start or grow their own business in Maine. They offer courses, cohorts, workshops, and events which encourage peer-to-peer learning and community building, as well as 1:1 business advising support.
UPCOMING WORKSHOPS
Info Session: Funding Opportunities to Support Aquaculture Farmers - September 25, 4 - 5 PM - Are you an aquaculture farmer thinking of applying for a grant through either of the two recently announced opportunities? Join CEI to review grant application basics and the particulars of these grants.
Child Care Business Lab: Explore- October 1, 7 - 8:30 PM - CEI will help you figure out if owning a child care business is right for you.
October Biz Fit: When Less is More, Simplify Your Workload- October 4, 8 - 9 AM - We often overwhelm ourselves with “more” and overlook the power of “less” in boosting productivity and efficiency. Leave the session with possibly one less thing “to do”!
Child Care Business Lab: Explore Finding a Facility Location- October 16, 12 - 1 PM - Interested in opening a child care outside of your home but aren’t sure where to start? This session can help you identify properties with potential, build confidence to reach out to community partners, and create an action plan outlining your next steps.
For a list of all upcoming events and workshops, click here.
New Ventures Maine creates an empowering environment for Maine people to define and achieve their career, financial, and small business goals. Through tuition-free classes and individual coaching, they help people find good jobs, start or return to college, launch small businesses, manage their money and build their assets.
UPCOMING WORKSHOPS
Work for Yourself @ 50+ - October 9, 1 - 2:30 PM - Covers starting a business later in life.
Free Professional Development Workshops Now Available in Maine
Typical business training often doesn’t meet the needs of creative entrepreneurs, so Assets for Artists built a roster of courses that are artist-tailored, artist-led, and FREE. We are thrilled to announce that all workshops are now open to ANY artist ANYWHERE in Maine!
Assets for Artists is an artist-led and artist-centered program that marshals resources and strategies for creatives to pursue self-determined careers while navigating an economic system that’s stacked against them. They advance this mission by advocating for artists’ needs, redistributing resources directly to artists, and creating opportunities for artists to be in community, engage in peer-learning, and obtain tools for navigating the challenges of our current economic system while simultaneously shaping a more equitable one. You can view all of their upcoming fall workshops here.
NuMarket is an online platform that is dedicated to helping small food businesses reach new heights.
Running a business is hard. Raising money to grow that business is harder. NuMarket's platform allows small food businesses to secure funding directly from their customers in exchange for more credits to use toward the business over time. Through NuMarket, anyone can fund their favorite businesses today and get back more credits to use on the things they love.
Thank you for reading this edition of the Ellsworth Business Pulse!
Check out our Business Benefits page for more information on how we can support your business!
