A new, locally owned coffee shop opened last weekend on a busy stretch of road in Holden that’s seen a lot of new development over the past few years.
Black Fly Coffee Company opened on Sunday at 107 Main Road in Holden, in a newly built building with a drive-through lane across the street from Holden Family Campground and Webb’s RV, serving up coffee, teas, fruit beverages and an array of pastries and other treats.
Owner David Higgins, a Brewer native, originally opened Black Fly Coffee in downtown Bar Harbor, and he had intended for the Holden location to be a second location. Over the winter, however, the landlord for the Bar Harbor location did not renew Higgins’ lease, so the Holden spot is now Black Fly Coffee’s sole location.
Higgins said the community support in his first few days open has been overwhelming.
“We want to offer the public a local coffee option that they can feel good about supporting,” Higggins said. “Our dollars stay local and help support many local vendors. Our goal is to support the community, in the hopes that the community will support us.”
Black Fly serves coffee from Carrabassett Coffee Roasters and from 44 North Coffee in Deer Isle, either as drip or iced coffee, cold brew or espresso beverages. There will also be an array of hot and iced teas, frozen dairy beverages, and fruit-flavored “hydration boosters.”
As for food, Higgins has partnered with beloved local bakery Gosselin’s to offer doughnuts in eight classic flavors, including plain, molasses, jelly and chocolate, as well as honey buns and turnovers. There are also bagels with cream cheese, cookies by Baked With Joy in Hermon, and macarons from Simply Macarons in Bangor.
Black Fly will be drive-through or pickup only — there’s no indoor seating, although Higgins said he might add a small amount of outdoor seating if there’s demand for it. It’ll also open at 5 a.m., so early-morning commuters can get their caffeine fix.
The town of Holden has been actively courting new businesses to open along Route 1A, including most recently a Tractor Supply, which opened in 2021, and Jones Lobster Company, a fish market and takeout grill, which opened in 2019.
Route 1A is one of the busiest stretches of road in eastern Maine, especially during the summer when tourists drive to the vacation destination of Mount Desert Island.