Though Maine’s overall business picture seemed lackluster in 2025, Aroostook County was one of the exceptions as unique ventures cropped up throughout the region.
It wasn’t all good news. The County lost some chain stores, including Walgreens in Houlton and Advance Auto Parts in Houlton and Presque Isle, and a few local legacies, including Burger Boy in Caribou and Presque Isle’s Rathbun Lumber.
But overall in northern Maine, openings outweighed closures, and niche small businesses generated a buzz. They ran the gamut, from creative expressions such as carving and tattoos, to eateries, games and adventure.
Aroostook County is known for a strong entrepreneurial spirit and hard workers who like to get things done, said Jessica Blalock, director of the St. John Valley Chamber of Commerce in Madawaska. That spirit is behind what she sees as a turnaround.
“COVID hurt us all, financially and physically, and I think we’re finally on the rebound,” Blalock said. “We’re seeing more money and more businesses coming in.”
In her region, which covers northern Aroostook County, there were a new butcher business, a small car dealership and an espresso shop that opened earlier this year. Here are just a few of the fresh businesses that brought new things to Aroostook in 2025.
Nordic Espresso
Nordic Espresso opened its doors this summer in Madawaska. The shop offers coffee, tea and pastries. Owner Stefan Dudek hoped to expand it into a space for guests to socialize and wanted to include the work of artists or host musicians.
Since he opened, the business has added an additional space, he said. Next year he hopes to start offering soups and sandwiches.
Dudek said the town has shown him a great deal of support along the way.
“They are wonderful,” he said of his customers. “I’ve had a big community response, and they want to help. There’s no question about it.”
He hopes the coffee shop will give young people in Madawaska a place to go, particularly during the winter months.
Lasting Impressions
Presque Isle artist Scotty Gagnon opened “Lasting Impressions,” a business in which he carves sculptures with a chainsaw blade.
Gagnon has been a lifelong artist, but took up chainsaw art just a few years ago. He said earlier this year that he overcame struggles with substance use and that this creative outlet has helped in that journey.
Gagnon’s work usually involves wood, but he has also carved ice sculptures with his chainsaw. He said the community response has been overwhelmingly positive.
BEE VR Theme Park
Caribou’s first virtual reality mega-theme park, BEE VR Theme Park, opened on Sweden Street earlier this year.
It is one of about a dozen Megaverse VR experiences in New England, and it uses a combination of virtual reality and haptic feedback to create an immersive experience.
The theme park also features simulator rides and arcade games, with milder experiences for young children. It also includes a small cafe area.
Anciently Marked
A new tattoo shop, Anciently Marked, opened in downtown Houlton earlier this year. The shop, owned by artist Kas Leeman, focuses on honoring and preserving the cultural practice of body marking.
Leeman said the shop’s art has its own distinct style, and that each creation has a special intention and purpose behind it.
Leeman has been a visual artist since they were roughly 5 years old, and brings more than five years of experience working in different shops developing their style.
207 Collectibles
Also opening this year on the same street was another new business, 207 Collectibles, managed by Kas’ husband, Matt Leeman.
The hobby and gaming shop strongly focuses on the popular card game Magic: The Gathering. People of all ages can socialize, learn about the game, or choose to compete in tournaments.
The space, owner Ryan Lounder’s third business, includes a main shop on the first floor and a private play space on the second floor.
Fireside Cafe
Caribou’s Fireside Cafe opened in the fall with a promise to make you “feel like you’re at your grandma’s house.”
Co-owners Cheryl Burns and Kate McCartney renovated the former Maine Bean & Tea building at 46 Fort St. and opened the eatery, offering affordable meals made from ingredients sourced from Aroostook County farms, putting their own stamp on the popular farm-to-table movement.
Burns and McCartney also launched a unique subscription service, through which people can pay $45 a week and receive a breakfast and lunch. The service targets those who work early mornings, such as truck drivers or farmers.
Bittersweet Thyme
Bittersweet Thyme, a gift shop, opened in Houlton earlier this year.
The shop is owned by two local women who lost their jobs at a gift shop last December and opted to open their own space.
Diane Pryor Winship and Shannon Cibic opened the store in April and offer gifts ranging from candles, rustic home decor, soaps, locations, dried flowers and purses.
The two hope the shop will give shoppers a space to find affordable gifts and items for their homes.
Bucks Bar
In Central Aroostook, Scott and Laurie LaFleur opened Bucks Bar, a bourbon bar at the former Caribou Inn and Convention Center.
The LaFleurs had recently purchased the former Caribou Inn and wanted the bar, which is named after Aroostook County’s heritage of hunting, to entice visitors to the region. The bar’s decor features murals of leaping deer, and its logo contains a buck’s head.
Bucks Bar also serves a unique variety of food, from smash burgers and Korean cauliflower to house-made cheesecake.
Riversbend Paddle Co.
Tapping into Aroostook’s outdoors opportunities, a Houlton business that opened on Father’s Day will let people rent kayaks and get a glimpse of the region’s lakes and rivers.
Riversbend Paddle Co. offers one-, four- and eight-hour kayak rentals, with the ability to launch at the business’s Bangor Street location. People can also have kayaks delivered and picked up at other nearby locations.
Business founder Johanna Johnston, who also leads Southern Aroostook Development Corp., said she wanted to make it easier for people to get on the water and fall in love with what the region has to offer.
Skyway Variety
For one family, the prospect of doing business in The County led them literally to give up the farm.
The Skyway Variety convenience store recently opened across from Presque Isle’s Skyway Industrial Park, owned by Sarah Leavitt and Bill Witham. The couple sold their 200-acre farm in central Maine and moved up to Aroostook County with their six children earlier this year.
The store specializes in convenience foods that are affordable and homemade, including Amish honey, locally-made goods, local beers and a variety of paninis and pizzas.
LuxeLens
LuxeLens, which offers a modern take on the traditional enclosed photo booths from the 1950s, is owned by friends Danielle Lane and Devon Cote.
The photo booth business is portable and features green screen backgrounds along with a number of standard backdrops. It is fully mobile, allowing customers to instantly share digital photos online. Because the booth is portable, the business can make appearances at spots throughout the county like municipal events, weddings and other special occasions.
The business has grown faster than they could have imagined, the owners said. They’ve brought their booth to events as far as Portland and are booked well into next year.
“The best part is the impact we’re making,” Lane and Cote told the Bangor Daily News. “After our most recent event, a client told us they can’t stop watching the videos because it makes them so happy.
“Moments like this remind us exactly why we do what we do.”