An appreciation for the gathering spots on MDI which keep the lights on in winter

MOUNT DESERT, Jan. 22, 2025 - As I drove south on Rt. 102 from Somesville, not a single vehicle passed me either way toward Southwest Harbor. A deep January freeze accentuated the barrenness.

I stopped at the IGA where I was one of only three customers. I was looking for coffee. I grabbed a bag and then realized it was whole beans. I tried to use the coffee grinder but it was out of order.

It was 10 a.m. and way beyond my coffee time.

What to do?

How about the gas station which has pretty good coffee? They actually have an organic Columbian blend.

On my way, I passed Milagro and spotted a flag fluttering the the wind saying OPEN.

I said to myself that’s not possible on Jan. 10.

Indeed.

Last fall, Shawn Robinette and Brian White sold the business after 22 years.

(Had it really been that long, the couple who introduced real bagels to MDI?)

Shawn and Brian sold the coffee shop to Jacquith Porter. He rebranded it Milagro Coffee Bar (from Milagaro Coffee and Espresso).

That was the only discernible change I could detect when I ordered a large coffee, large green tea and all six of the blueberry muffins left. (The muffins would be for the staff at the Tremont Municipal Building where I was headed.)

Porter is the latest of an emerging class of new owners of gathering spots on MDI. Few of them are household names.

They share one interest: Keep serving year-round customers in winter.

Some do it even though it’s not consistently profitable.

Whether it’s trivia night, or karaoke, hot coffee or open mic, these gathering spots are the modern day taverns.

Taverns in New England were more than just places to eat and drink. They embodied the spirit of community and the resilience of early American life, making them enduring symbols of the region's heritage.

Taverns served as gathering places for all social classes, promoting interaction among diverse groups. They were spaces for storytelling, music and games, nurturing New England’s oral traditions.

Nathaniel Hawthorne and Henry Wadsworth Longfellow found inspiration in the stories and atmosphere of New England’s taverns.

They were hotbeds of revolutionary thought during the American Revolution. Figures like Samuel Adams, Paul Revere and other patriots gathered in taverns to plan protests, including the Boston Tea Party. Public readings of revolutionary documents, such as the Declaration of Independence, often occurred in or around taverns.

In some cases, they were places where people come together to celebrate, mourn or simply unwind. They performed civic engagement, such as fundraisers and local events.

Russell Snyder is the face of this class on MDI.

His role and that of hearty others who unwittingly created a village milieu so much more authentic than the hot mess of tourism during “The Season” when virtually every encounter is forgettable.

Those who attend his open mics at the Finback Alehouse on Cottage Street in Bar Harbor Friday nights may be assured of participation, acceptance and a shared sense of renewal. In other such events, Russell has accompanied me variously on drums, bass, harmonica, keyboard and guitar. The man is a musician in full and a great partner.

Same can be said of Budd Williams, who hosts an Open Mic at the Next Level Sports Lounge in Southwest Harbor every Tuesday night. Williams induces a separate sensibility with a steady core of incredible local musicians like Brian Kupiec.

Russell Snyder on voice and keyboard

The two events are similar. They are most about live music.

But they represent a larger pent-up hunger - that villages and towns on the island want a year-round life.

The live events only give us a glimpse into the possibility.

Southwest Harbor, through the personal vigilance of a few entrepreneurial individuals, like Renee Miller and Jojo Feliciano, owners of Next Level, is the winter hub on the Quietside, serving the Rt. 102 corridor which reaches down to Tremont and up to Town Hill.

Unfortunately, Mount Desert, my town, does not share in this largesse. Adam Fraley, co-owner of my favorite spot in the village of Northeast Harbor, told me the economics and staffing challenges made it too high a hill to climb. So after three years of year-round service, Nor’Easter Lobster Pound went back to being a seasonal business.

That did not stop me from stopping by McGrath’s store now and then, get a cup of the best coffee in town and watch owner Terry Renault spoil his chocolate lab Oscar with another treat after the dog practically jumped over the counter. (Terry’s mother Dorothy Renault was honored by the town last year when she celebrated her 100th birthday.)

One recent night I had a meatloaf and an ale at the Finback, where the manager told me that the owners of such businesses who keep their lights on in January are real “community heroes.” Along with the quintessential comfort food, I got a sound earful on how they deserved a shoutout so not to cast Bar Harbor as a one-dimensional tourist trap.

I attempted to add up those businesses which I knew to be open. Besides the usual evergreens - libraries, hardware stores, liquor stores, grocery stores, pharmacies, YMCA, Neighborhood House, Harbor House - these are some of the gathering spots. Please support them generously:

• The Common Good Soup Kitchen in Southwest Harbor is the heartbeat of the Quietside. On Wednesdays, it serves a soup lunch from 11-2. Those who are able may make a donation. It delivers food on Fridays from 8-9:30 a.m. and holds a community dinner from 4-6 with live music. On Sundays, Mary Margaret “Marlene” Davis makes her legendary popovers from 9 to 11. Debra Estep is its able director.

• Besides Next Level, SWH also has two other restaurants open in January - Harbor Table and Peter Trout.

• Besides Milagro Coffee Bar, Little Notch Baker and Silent City Coffee Shop are open in SWH.

• Open Table MDI offers a free community supper Tuesdays at 4:30 at 116 Cottage St, Bar Harbor. There is a limited amount of to-go meals available starting at 5 pm on a first-come-first-served basis. Delivery of meals is also possible, please call/text 207-664-9026 or email at opentablemdi@gmail.com to schedule a delivery before 2 pm on Tuesday.

• Mike Rosa, who bought one of Bar Harbor’s best known taverns, Thirsty Whale, last year immediately opened it seven days a week during the winter. “I have talked with all of the staff who are returning and asked them what they thought about being open more in the winter,” Rosa told the late Dick Broom of the Islander, “And pretty universally they said, ‘Yeah, please. I’d love to have the work.’”

• Other venues that are open according to their websites include: Havana, Jack Russell’s Steakhouse, Pizzeria 131 on Cottage Street, Choco-Latte Cafe, Peekytoe Provisions in its new building on Main Street, Bar Harbor, Blaze on Main Street, Leary’s Irish Pub on Main Street, Bar Harbor, and The Bistro at Atlantic Oceanside.

Like many of my readers I avoid Bar Harbor during the tourist season.

Some restaurant owners have asked me not to patronize their establishments given that my blog is radioactive. I was happy to oblige. Tom St. Germain, who owns Jack Russell, was not one such owner. One time he spotted me at the bar and bought me a drink.

Note that not a single business owned by an APPLL board member is open this month. There’s no money to be made from community service. APPLL, which is suing the taxpayers for the 1,000 daily cruise ship passenger limit, should change its name to more accurately reflect its mission: Association to Protect and Preserve Local Livelihoods but not in Winter.

West Street Cafe is closed. Owner Kevin DesVeaux, who said publicly that 30 percent of his business comes from cruise ship passengers and refused to accept the result of the Nov. 5 referendum restricting the limit disembarking passengers, filed for a recount which reaffirmed the vote and cost taxpayers $2,000.

So is Side Street Cafe, whose manager Bo Jennings is the president of the local Chamber of Commerce. The owner Jeff Young is ensconced in Costa Rica, from where he is filing Facebook reports on his activities.

The Lompoc Cafe, co-owned by the Town Council’s newest member, Megan Kelly, is also closed for the winter.

They are safely out of harm’s way of Bar Harbor’s chill and challenge to try and make a buck in dead winter.

Please call to verify days and hours, as not all venues update them as they change. The chamber’s website is unreliable. Many listed businesses are not open.

I have chosen to list only businesses which are gathering places. If I missed one, please add them in the comments section.

The German word Gemütlichkeit captures the warm feeling of good cheer with friends, as we shelter in place with the help of a pint or two.