Chip Holmes and Olga Oros, owners of Damariscotta River Cruises, stand in front of 17 Friendship Road in Waldoboro, a building they purchased. Over the past few months, multiple businesses have opened within the building. (Photo courtesy Olga Oros)
In the span of a couple of months, a new generation of businesses has opened in Waldoboro.
The home of S. Fernald’s Country Store for a decade, the building at 17 Friendship Road was purchased by Olga Oros in April 2025. Since then, multiple new businesses have opened their doors: Day Boat Cafe, the Holmes and Hudson Collective, New Leaf Plant Shop, and Qigong Maine.
“This was our idea, to bring life and businesses to Main Street Waldoboro,” Oros said.
Oros, who owns Damariscotta River Cruises with her life partner Chip Holmes, teaches out of a Qigong studio located at the lower level of the building.
Qigong is the ancient Chinese art of natural healing and self cultivation. Oros said she discovered the practice while living in New York City. At the time, she was overworked from school and had been seeing an acupuncturist who happened to be a Qigong master.
Oros said her Qigong master said he can help her from the outside through acupuncture, but Qigong is when one goes within to take care of their own health.
Olga Oros (center) leads a Dragons Way Qigong class in her studio in Waldoboro. Oros said there are many benefits to the program, including weight loss, migraine relief, and improved mental wellness. (Photo courtesy Olga Oros)
Now, over 20 year later, Oros has her own studio with a class of graduates from her first six-week program. She said the benefits of the practice include more energy, less stress, better sleep, improved digestions, weight loss, self-empowerment, a calmer mind, and more.
Her Dragon’s Way Qigong class focuses on 10 Qigong movements and she teaches her students how to use food for healing using the Five Element Consciousness Framework.
“That’s what traditional Chinese medicine is based on,” Oros said.
Oros’ classes are open to all ages. She said in the recent graduating class she had some students who were in their 30s and then one who was over 80 years old. One student told Oros after one class, she had slept through the night for the first time in years.
On the first Monday of every month, Oros teaches another class called the Four Energy Gates. In the Qigong self-massage class, Oros teaches her students about the major intersections in their bodies and how to massage them to open up the flow of energy.
All participants have different stories and reasons for why they join the classes, Oros said. Whether that is poor sleep, weight loss, or migraines, Oros has seen progress from everyone who stepped in the doors.
In the future, she said she wants to start a class specifically for women.
Oros said she has a method for staying calm while balancing running the river cruises, being the owner of the building, and leading her studio: one-hour of Qigong every morning.
“Chip is an awesome partner,” Oros said. “We kind of share the work.”
The couple bought the building after missing the opportunity when it was previously for sale. Oros said they knew they wanted to bring the storefronts in the building to life, whether it was through their own business or renters.
Olga Oros poses in front of the Five Element Consciousness Framework, a key component of Qigong, an ancient Chinese healing art involving meditation, controlled breathing, and movement exercises. Oros runs a Qigong studio on the lower level of 17 Friendship Road in Waldoboro, a building she bought and has revitalized over the past few months. (Photo courtesy Olga Oros)
“Damariscotta is so busy and then there is this really great town here, just 10 minutes away and it’s kind of hidden,” Oros said.
Before they even signed the papers, Oros said the surrounding community welcomed them with open arms.
When it was time to figure out what businesses they wanted taking over the spaces throughout the building, Oros already had two people in mind: Kelsey Woodworth and Anna Hymanson, the owners of Day Boat Cafe. Oros said she was aware they were interested in renting and knew she wanted to open an eatery in the area.
Once that box was checked, Heidi Holmes and Troy Hudson joined the picture. Oros said when she met the owners of the Holmes and Hudson Collective, they had an instant connection.
Oros said she didn’t know Rosie Feihel, the owner of New Leaf Plant Shop, when she voiced her interested in one of the upstairs spaces and originally thought it would be filled by a hairdresser or spa. But when Feihel approached her with the idea of an indoor plant store, Oros loved it.
“I think everything is happening in the building,” Oros said.
As 17 Friendship Road continues to grow, Olga said everyone involved has been working on getting it ready for summer. This includes a planting garden and sprucing up the deck outside of the cafe.
As the owners continue to settle in, Oros said they plan on figuring out what to do with the attic of the building, which used to be a speakeasy. Oros and Chip Holmes both said they are preparing for the busy summer season and planning how they will run the boat cruises, teach classes, and continue to revitalize the building.
From 10 a.m. to sunset on Saturday, May 30, all of the businesses in the building plan on hosting an open house/building party to celebrate their first few months of being open and to further connect with the community.
“When we first met Olga, it was like reconnecting with an old friend,” Heidi Holmes said. “She is incredibly kind, giving, and supportive.”
For more information, call 315-5544 or go to qigongmaine.com.
