About Penobscot County, ME

Homesteading, back to basics living, heating with wood, growing your own food, creating a simpler lifestyle.  Is the call of the land calling you?

Lots of options for tutorials on your exodus from the suburbs to the country like Mother Earth News and Backwoods Home Magazine. Tons of on line forums for details and real life experiences with wind power to better built energy efficient homes, living green, eating better, and in many cases living self sufficient like our grandparents did. Could you do it? And has the idea of living on a 40 + acre spread ever crossed your mind? Trading in your Lexus for a Farmall traactor ? How far off the grid to you want to live? Composting toilets, relying on your neighbor who knows more about farm tractors than you, but helping him build that cattle barn bartering lifestyle? Is that the picture in your crystal ball?

Maine REALTOR Andrew Mooers - Simple Living, Down To Earth Maine Lifestyle For Sale

Years ago building a car one at a time was too costly if you wanted to sell them for $300 a copy.

Streamlining the assembly line, having your own steel foundry and making even the parts for the tin lizzie became part of the production recipe for the horseless carriage. But in small town real estate, when a business expands too quickly or just adds on period, the momemtum and special charm or mystique of that business can change.  Example, in Bangor Maine there is a place called The Coffee Pot.  The hardworking German owner is up early making classic sub sandwiches. He makes a certain number each day, stocks his coolers and keeps his overhead/labor to a minimum.  He has the process down like a science. Each day, the sidewalk outside is packed with addicted sandwich buyers who have enjoyed the snack for decades.  The trek to his business becomes part of the consumer's way of life and even family tradition passed down to another generation because he has been open so long. Unlike sandwich artists at Subway's yellow signs that are seen everywhere, The Coffee Pot is a one man army assembling one sandwich at a time and winning over customers one at a time. Dana's Grill was another hole in the wall operation famous for lobster rolls to die for. It's out of the way Bangor Maine location was an old trailer that zoning would frown on with today's regulations. But it had an almost cult following.  Maybe because someone's dad or mom introduced their kid's into the habit of visiting this eatery that you might not think would be successful. Dan's also had a mobile unit to take the lobster rolls on the streets of Bangor to hit the lunch crowd of the downtown..it was called "Son of Dana's".  If your little business's product is good enough, and if you endure long enough, you could become a tourist attraction with fans wanting to try the unique creation you have mastered that has loyal following and the right media exposure to call attention to it.

     In the case of the Coffee Pot with its original red neon window sign,  I remember as a kid my parents stopping into the green colored place to pick up subs for themselves and others.  Simple sandwich of great ingredients, wrapped nicely but simple.  The owner did not franchise, he did not add on, he created a tradition and a demand because only so many were "built" each day.  If he had added on, or become more modernized, the spark and excitement as a David could have been lost in the transformation to a Goliath operation. Bigger is not always better. Also, I have seen churches that grew and grew and because a ten oclock service was typically full to capacity, decide they must direct a building fund to expand, or even relocate and build a grandiose new building with all the added overhead that goes with it. Having a second service at 8 oclock might be all that is needed but the notion we have to get bigger is not always true. Being bigger can lose something special that small business possesses...that smaller, cozy not the norm intimacy.  Small businesses, especially the ones paid for with low overhead can survive any economic storm too.  Small independent business owners are a big part of the economic under pinnings of America's economy and you feel good doing business with the owner in the store.

Maine REALTOR Andrew Mooers - Aroostook County, Houlton Maine Real Estate Information

Henry Ford could not make a car to sell for $300 a copy by hammering them out one at a time. Creating side companies to feed the mother operation with parts and components for the tin lizzie sprung up to feed the efficient assembly line of horseless carriages. But in some businesses, smaller is better. The Coffee Pot in Bangor Maine is a case in point. Run for decades by a very industrious German man adorned in his white apron and greeting customers in a one on one fashion, this is one business that maybe growth would spoil the special flavor of the small eatery. Submarine sandiwches, when they first came out in the this country have been wrapped in special paper, make with the best ingredients and homemade bread for years with only so many a day put in the cooler to draw from. When they are gone, the place closes. The lines on the sidewalk are the best advertising for his business that tell you this fellow has a following. The light green building with the red neon sign and red neon border in the window has not changed a thing, has not expanded or franchised or added on. He just makes a big splash as a one man army attacking local hunger with a sandwich generations have come to love. What's so special about the sandwich itself at the Coffee Pot?

Dana's Grill , the original one was another local eatery in Bangor that used to operate out of an old trailer located off the beaten path but with a strong reputation for a lobster roll to die for made with fresh Maine lobster...or rather "lobstahhhhhh". There was even a mobile unit called Son of Dana's that roamed the downtown to bring the deep water delicacy to the masses too busy to make the hike to the mother operation. Have you seen churches that were packed and then decided to build new large buildings with the idea the growth would continue and then see them flounder? Perhaps from the mountains of debt they step out in faith to build with but that find something is lost when the small friendly atmosphere is lost and just adding another service time could have kept them in the same facility that was paid for and had lower operating overhead? Small sometimes is better...and weathering economic ups and downs are much easier for the well run, tight knit small business.

Maine REALTOR Andrew Mooers - Selling Small Town Maine Real Estate And Provide Community Information

Small town living where you know your neighbor, you see them at local church suppers, area community events and when the hometown team makes it to the play offs. 

In Maine, February school vacation is a time when if your team worked hard enough, it made the cut to head to the tournament. In the case of Eastern Maine, the Bangor Auditorium becomes home for families, players, coaches, fans. The entire area is behind their atheletes..you see signs along the interstate 95 on the ride down rooting for this or that Aroostook County team. Playing on the Bangor Auditorium floor is the highlight, the goal of many high school athelete that has grown up playing hoop with the orange ball thru out his or her childhood at the local rec, in the back yard and thru organized school sport programs.  The Maine Principal's Association's Heal points system is a popular website to see how your team besting this team affects your tournament index and not just for basketball. The Houlton Hodgdon Blackhawks hockey team gets their turn next Monday night in Presque Isle playing the Wildcats to advance thru the quarter finals.   Watch the hockey game that got them there this year. Below, can you sense the strong local pride of the Houlton Lady Shiretowners and the Calais Blue Devils in their matchup? Good job all area Maine teams and enjoy your school vacation with the reunion of community, past and present players as they climb up into the bleachers to watch the show and to listen to the band!

Maine REALTOR Andrew Mooers - Selling Houlton Maine Real Estate / Covering The Commmity Events

Some soap box derby families race for points all year long.  Others that are not belt belt racers but want the "thrill of the hill" for their youngsters help their kids plan for the big annual local race. 

. The 72nd race in Akron Ohio, the world series of derby racing is July 25th and most locals are at least a month or earlier than that magic date.  Rounding up sponsors for a new car, getting it branded with graphics and built with the help of a parent or family friend starts now. Or you may find a local car where the driver out grew it and moved up to another class...like from stock to super stock or to masters, and in the months ahead, you will want to modify that car to fit your frame and to enhance it's performance with reading up on tweaking techniques.  Watch the video below...nearly 3000 folks have to learn about down hill gravity soap box derby kit car racing! The Houlton Maine race site was the largest in the country for five years straight. We even built our own "Derby Hill" so setting up the course for the annual race and spring/fall rallies is easy.  The rallies attract racers from all over the country and help put your town on the map in addition to revenues from motels, diners and gas sales.

Maine REALTOR Andrew Mooers - Houlton Maine Area Events, Information And Real Estate Listings For Sale.