Small Business Saturday in Freeport

Support Local Business While You Shop For Your Loved Ones

Small Business Saturday was started in 2010 by American Express and is celebrated the Saturday after Thanksgiving, between Black Friday and Cyber Monday. This year it falls on November 30, 2024. The purpose of the day is to showcase the small businesses that are the backbone of the American economy and that support local communities across the country. I am a firm believer of shopping where you live and buying local. This holiday season, instead of rushing around shopping at crowded malls, dealing with long lines and retail shortages, shop at your local small shops. Recently, I spent some time shopping in Freeport Village and found some fun presents for my clients and friends. Below are just a few of the businesses in Freeport I visited, neighbors of The Benner Group at Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Northeast Real Estate. Please be sure to stop on by and check out all the other shops. And don’t forget the restaurants, their gift cards make great stocking stuffers.

Sherman's Maine Coast Book Shop

Sherman’s Book Shops are located in nine communities along the Coast of Maine, including Freeport which opened in 1998. As a child I would get so excited when the family would go shopping at a bookstore. I would save up my allowance money to purchase a new book to add to my personal library of books. It was a really big deal. I would painstakingly search the book shelves for just the right book to buy. My daughter grew up with that same passion for books and bookstores.  Even now, our happy place is being in a bookstore. Sherman’s is that kind of bookstore where memories are made. The shop advertises that repeat summer visitors often report that Sherman’s is the first stop many members of the family want to make upon arriving back in town the next year. With decades of experience and customer satisfaction, all the Sherman’s Bookstores have grown into unique shops, stocked with full selections of books displayed alongside extensive inventory of stationary, office and art supplies, greeting cards, toys, housewares, gifts, jewelry and of course Maine-themed mementos. It is a wonderful shop for all of your holiday shopping needs from gifts, stocking stuffers and wrapping paper. Open 362 days a year, this family run store is not open on Thanksgiving, Christmas, or New Year’s Day.

Wilbur's of Maine Chocolate Confections

I am of the opinion that there are four basic food groups: milk chocolate, dark chocolate, white chocolate, and chocolate truffles. Thank goodness I can satisfy my chocolate cravings with Wilbur’s of Maine Chocolate Confections, located just a mile down the road from my real estate office. As a family-owned and operated business, Wilbur’s of Maine Chocolate Confections brings the highest quality confections to their customers for the best value. They produce their own confections at their factory at 174 Lower Main Street in Freeport. The “Factory Store” features a wide selection of Maine made foods and products and is a fun and tasty place to shop.  Many times I have brought visiting family and friends to Wilbur’s to partake of their factory tour. It is fun to see how the chocolates are made and even better to share them to eat. 

Tom and Catherine Wilbur started the business in 1983 as a retail establishment on Bow Street in Freeport, Maine. At the time, there were only two outlet stores in Freeport. Tom soon began experimenting with chocolate, developing Wilbur the Moose. In 2016, their son, Andy took over ownership  of Wilbur’s of Maine, heralding a new age of updated facilities, new products along with the same tried and true recipes we already love. Wilbur’s of Maine is an 11th-time consecutive winner of Downeast Magazine’s Reader’s Choice Poll for Maine’s Best Chocolate and Candy Shop (2010-2020).

The Freeport Cafe

I was sad to see the Freeport Cafe close their dinner menu, a move that was prompted during the Covid pandemic. However, after a time being closed up, I was glad that the Cafe weathered the pandemic and reopen even if it was at reduced hours. Open daily from 6:00 am to 2:00 pm, the Cafe serves breakfast and lunch just the way Mom used to cook, made with fresh ingredients and generous portions. One of my go to meals is the Freeport Favorite which consists of 2 eggs, home fries, bacon, toast and homemade corn beef hash. I eat half for brunch and save the rest for supper. 2 meals for the price of one. If I am with a group of friends we share the house speciality of the Giant Cinnamon Roll, a dinner-plate-sized pastry. If you are looking for lunch fare, the Cafe offers a good selection of sandwiches and salads. On cold days you should try their award winning New England Clam Chowder to warm that winter chill. The Cafe might not be offering dinner time selections, but they do still offer specialty Mimosas and canned cocktails like Lone Pine Brightside IPA, Allagash White, Cranberry Island Cocktail. The Mimosas are made with Zonin Prosecco and have fun names like the Wicked Mainah made with Blueberry Lemonade, the AYUH made with Pineapple Juice, and my favorite … the Lobster P made with Apple Juice. Put a little bit of Maine good eats in someone’s stocking. Gift certificates are available.

Athena's Cantina

I first fell in love with the food when it opened up in a welcoming red food truck in 2019, located less than a mile from my office in Freeport. It quickly became my go to lunch spot. How can you turn down tacos and taquitos topped with crema drizzle, queso fresco and fresh cilantro? Then in early 2020 they also opened a dine in restaurant serving Latin Fusion Food with Sangria Bar. The food truck or the cantina makes a great spot for a meal or drinks with friends or family. Olé!

Nighthawk's Kitchen

Chef and owner Christian “Nighthawk” Noe brings a lengthy career of catering to big names of the food and entertainment industries to his namesake establishment. Nighthawk’s Kitchen is located within the tasting facility of Mast Landing Brewing Company. They  offer grab and go options, as well as a full dine-in and take out menu. Folks visiting the Mast Landing Brewing Company next door can order from the restaurant's menu and have the food delivered to them while enjoying a beer. As a culinary partner to the brewery, the kitchen’s recipes are meant to complement the all-star lineup of craft brews.  Using fresh and locally sourced ingredients, the restaurant’s culinary focus and its mission is to provide an approachable take on American and International comfort food inspired by recipes we all crave, like the BEST BURGER EVER, my personal favorite dish on the menu. One wall proudly displays framed copies of Christian’s grandmother’s tried-and-true recipes as a cool design feature and testament to that culinary mission. I am working my way through the menu and that will be MY culinary mission.

The Pet Pantry

I like to shop local and am always looking for a place with quality merchandise whether I am purchasing for myself, a family member or my pets. I am happy to have found the Pet Pantry in Freeport, locally owned and just down the road from my office.  They have the cutest doggie-treat baked goods, that look so good you would think they came from a high end patisserie. I handpicked a dozen of these treats as edible presents for my clients with pups. With so many delectable treats to choose from, it took a while to make my selection. And no matter whose furry friend I purchase doggie treats for, I always remember a few treats for my good boy and grand-dog, Ferris. 

The Pet Pantry advertises themselves as being Maine's most complete pet supply and gift store, offering a wide variety of pet supplies, gifts, toys, and pet food, no matter what type of pet. It is conveniently located with ample parking at 177 Lower Main Street in Freeport, Maine.  Check them out and pick up a doggie cookie for your favorite pup. Break your “Chewy” addiction, and shop local!