We are happy to welcome another new business to Lincoln County this week. Riverside Butcher Co. will open in the space on Main Street formerly home to Narragansett Leathers and Tori Anna Designs.
A butcher shop alone might not make or break the county’s economy, but small businesses like this ensure our downtowns continue to thrive.
The new venture will give a boost to other businesses in the Twin Villages by bringing more shoppers downtown, while its focus on local meats will provide another outlet for Lincoln County farms to bring their products to market.
The news about the butcher shop follows news earlier this month of Peregrine Turbine Technologies’ investments in some long-vacant Wiscasset properties.
Peregrine’s decision to keep its growing operation – which has potential to grow much, much more – in Wiscasset was not always certain.
A few months ago, the company was outgrowing its office at the Wiscasset Municipal Airport and its future in the town was cloudy.
Now, its CEO has alluded to the possibility of redeveloping Mason Station – a long-empty, polluted eyesore – into a manufacturing plant.
What really strikes us about both the small-town butcher shop and the high-tech startup are their reasons for investing in our community.
“My heart is in Wiscasset,” Peregrine Turbine Technologies CEO David Stapp said after reaching the deal to buy his new headquarters. “I believe it has great potential as a platform for business development and I would like my business to be part of that picture.”
Damariscotta native August Avantaggio shared a similar sentiment regarding his plans for the butcher shop. “Having grown up here, there’s a reason I came back here to make a living and start a family,” he said.
Politicians like to talk about economic development. They propose things like deregulation, lower energy costs, and tax breaks as answers to the state’s economic troubles.
While policymakers should do what they can to keep Maine as competitive as possible without compromising what makes the state special, you can’t bribe someone to love a community.
The future economic health of Lincoln County depends on people like the owners of Peregrine Turbine Technologies and Riverside Butcher Co. – people who make a commitment to the community because they love the community.
Stapp – the Peregrine CEO – summed up our feelings pretty well in a previous article, when he was still considering his next step: “I’d like to think my purpose on this earth is more than just making money,” he said. Us too.
We wish both businesses a long and successful life in Lincoln County.
