Happy Birthday, Maine!!!

The Pine Tree State

Devil's Pulpit, Bald Head Cliff, York, Maine, circa 1900.
Touring Turn-of-the-Century America, 1880-1920

On March 15, 1820, Maine became the twenty-third state in the Union. Originally a province of Massachusetts, Maine is noted for its picturesque coastline and dense woodlands. Even today, ninety percent of Maine remains forested.

I love Maine! Every year I spend five months there during the summer season, actively involved in the antiques trade. I exhibit in a couple different shops, and participate in some of the New England shows.

Used to run my own shop near New Harbor in mid-coast Maine, but last year decided to do something quite different. I closed my shop, moved to smaller quarters (after all, one person doesn't really need a three bedroom home), and rented several spaces in local antiques groups shops.

I also began an antiques tour business for those who are searching for antiques - either collectors or dealers who have limited time to spend in Maine, and need assistance in finding the kinds of antiques and collectibles they desire.

Early in the summer I began working part-time in a very lovely, upscale antiques gallery in Wiscasset, Maine, which I will tell you about another time. The quality of the antiques there was fabulous, and the shop was very successful, especially considering that it was it's first year of operation. It's always tough to start-up a business, but the owner of this shop is a long-time, experienced antiques dealer and shop owner, knows her trade well, and made all the right choices in building her shop up to it's high quality level.

All these changes were eye-openers for me, and - probably because I'm quite flexible in my approach to life - these changes all worked well. Overall, I'm quite pleased with how last summer went, and will fine-tune things a bit this summer season for even more success!