Bar Harbor New Biz

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Every spring, new retail businesses open up in downtown Bar Harbor in places where old ones used to be.

While many businesses last decades or more, there is a lot of changeover from one year to the next and trying to keep track of it and document it all would suck up an enormous amount of my time, so I make no effort to try. But on occasion, it’s hard not to notice when something new crops up – especially if it involves construction.

Which is why I’ve noticed a few new and expanded businesses this spring.

The Dog & Pony Tavern has been completely rebuilt, aside from part of its outdoor beer garden and associated beer gazebo. It’s bigger now, with more interior space and upgraded kitchen and bathroom facilities.

The upscale restaurant Havana also has expanded, adding an outdoor patio along with a wood-fired grill and exterior bar.

Gone is Rupununi (where I schlepped through a summer as a prep cook 19 years ago), and in its place is Bar Harbor Beerworks (here’s the menu). The Bond family has added a second-story deck above the old patio (see photo at the top of this post), giving patrons a birds-eye view of Main Street.

Other new businesses I’ve noticed include the Pink Pastry Shop further down Main Street toward the harbor, where Clair de Loon clothing shop used to be, and a new branch of the well-known Grasshopper Shop, which is a home goods and clothing shop with stores in Ellsworth, Rockland, Searsport and at Bangor International Airport. The Bar Harbor shop is in the iconic “seagull” building on Main Street, overlooking Agamont Park. There also is a new cafe called “Saigon Corner Cafe” on the corner of Eden and Cottage streets, across from Bar Harbor Bike Shop.

And I might as well mention two places that still occupy their spaces but, here in early June, are still NOT yet open. The troubled Criterion Theater indicates on its marquee that it is “undergoing renovations” (and, having looked through the glass front doors, I can say this appears to be accurate). The Opera House Cafe has a sign in the door indicating it may open in late May of early June.

I am sure I am leaving out a lot of info about new businesses or others that may have moved or expanded. This is just an informal list of things I’ve noticed while doing other things in Bar Harbor. If there is something I left out or any new/relocated/expanded business you feel is worth mentioning, feel free to post a comment below.

Bill Trotter

About Bill Trotter

A news reporter in coastal Maine for more than 20 years, Bill Trotter writes about how the Atlantic Ocean and the state's iconic coastline help to shape the lives of coastal Maine residents and visitors. He writes about fisheries, marine-related topics, eastern coastal Maine communities and more for the BDN. He lives in Ellsworth. Follow him on Twitter at @billtrotter.