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Main Street America’s Fall Small Business Survey is Open! |
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| As a Main Street America Accredited organization, our work in Ellsworth is connected to a national movement supporting small businesses and stronger downtowns. If you are a small business owner, please take the Fall 2026 Small Business Survey. Your feedback will help Main Street America better shape its programs, resources, and support around the real needs of businesses like yours. Identifying information is optional, and responses will be shared anonymously or as summary data. The survey closes September 25, 2026. |
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| | | Opportunities & Resources to Know |
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| The Downtown Ellsworth Experience Survey is designed to capture a clear snapshot of how residents, visitors, employees, and business owners experience downtown today. Business and building owners are encouraged to complete the survey, but we also need your help reaching the people who interact with downtown every day. Please share the survey through your business pages and encourage customers, employees, and neighbors to participate. Posters and QR code cards are also being distributed throughout the Main Street district to make sharing easy. The more responses we receive, the stronger the information we can bring into conversations with community partners and use to guide future priorities, programming, and investment. This effort is being led by our Economic Vitality Committee, and we appreciate your help expanding its reach. |
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| The 2026 holiday shopping season will move quickly. Small Business Saturday falls on November 28, leaving just 27 days until Christmas and creating one of the shortest holiday shopping windows in recent years. Main Street America’s latest article breaks down what businesses can expect from this year’s shoppers and where to focus now. It covers changing spending habits, the growing role of AI in product research, the continued importance of in person shopping, and practical steps like building your calendar early, updating your online information, and creating memorable customer experiences. September is the time to start shaping a holiday plan you can realistically execute. Read the article and identify what your business can put in motion now. |
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| The City of Ellsworth has created a new Office of Community Development, bringing Economic Development, Planning, Code Enforcement, and Assessing under one leadership structure. For business and building owners, this is meaningful because opening, expanding, improving, or investing in a property often involves more than one of these departments. Bringing them together creates an opportunity for clearer communication, better coordination, and more organized processes. The new office will be led by Twila Fisher, who also chairs Heart of Ellsworth’s Economic Vitality Committee. At our most recent meeting, Twila shared that one of her primary goals is to make City processes more fluid and organized by strengthening connections between departments that have previously operated more independently. This move shows real momentum toward a more cohesive approach to growth and development in Ellsworth. Existing departments, responsibilities, and public points of contact will remain in place. |
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| The Union River Sculpture Trail is moving from planning into visible progress, creating another reason for people to explore downtown, spend more time here, and connect Main Street with the riverfront. Kazumi Hoshino’s Yohaku: Emptiness Beyond arrived on Riverwalk North in August as a temporary installation, followed by a second temporary sculpture from Jesse Cameron on the Ellsworth Public Library lawn. The trail also reached a major milestone with the purchase of its first permanent sculpture, Celeste Roberge’s Chaise Gabion. As the trail develops, businesses can help build awareness by sharing updates and recommending the installations to customers and visitors. This continued investment in public art and shared spaces adds to the overall downtown experience and strengthens Ellsworth as a place to visit, explore, and invest in. |
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| | | Commercial Spaces Available in Downtown |
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| | Downtown Ellsworth has space for what is next. From small offices to full buildings ready for new owners, there are opportunities for businesses looking to grow, relocate, or invest locally. |
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24 Church Street Available Sept 1. Standalone office building for lease in downtown Ellsworth.Single-story, ADA accessible property. Shared parking with BMV, up to twenty-three (23) spaces. 207.772.1333 |
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| | | | | Listed for Sale: 108 Main Street 2-4 State Street 66 Main Street 50 Church Street |
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| | | | | Ask an Advisor. Online. 12PM: 9/16, 9/23, 9/30, 10/7, 10/14 Thursday, September 17, 9AM. Online. Year-End Bookkeeping for Small Business Owners Monday, September 21. 9AM. Online. Scaling 101 Tuesday September 22. 9AM. Online. Women Owned Small Business Certification 101
Monday, September 28. 9AM. Online. Scaling Up: From Strategy to Action
Tuesday, September 29. 10AM. Online. Self-Worth Club: A Skills-Building Discussion Group for Business Owners
Thursday, October 1. 12PM. Online. Accelerate Your Business: Explore Top Gun and More with MCE
Friday, October 9. 8AM. Online. October Biz Fit: The Magic 8 Ball: How Do You Make Business Decisions? |
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| | | | Marketing Tip From Chesnee |
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| | One point in Main Street America’s 2026 holiday outlook especially stood out to me: more than 70% of holiday shopping is still expected to happen in person, but customers are looking for experiences that feel special and create memories. That is where downtown businesses have an advantage. |
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| When I think about what makes me plan a holiday visit to a business, it is usually a tradition, a special event, or something specific I saw online. It is that extra reason that turns “I have been meaning to go there” into “I am going there on this day.” Many downtown businesses already do a great job sharing what is happening right now, from weekly specials to new inventory and seasonal offerings. As we look toward the holidays, there is also an opportunity to give customers something to anticipate. Start foreshadowing what is coming and invite people to plan around your business before their holiday calendars fill up. This does not mean adding a large event to an already busy season. Think about what is realistic within your capacity and what could make one shopping day feel different. It could be a special shopping night, a limited release, a small in-store activity, gift wrapping, or the return of something customers look forward to each year. The goal is to create a specific moment that gives people a clear reason to come through your doors. Once you have the idea, set the date and begin talking about it early. Use social media to build anticipation. If you collect customer emails, send a short message with the date, the details, and why they will want to attend. The event does not need to be complicated, but the invitation should be clear. Creating reasons for people to spend time downtown is central to Heart of Ellsworth’s work because every planned visit has the potential to support more than one local business. Someone who comes downtown for a special event may also stop for dinner, browse another shop, or return later with someone else. When businesses create their own memorable moments alongside community-wide programming, the entire district becomes a stronger holiday destination. As you begin planning, ask yourself: What could we offer this season that would make someone choose a specific day to visit us? |
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