ELLSWORTH, Maine — "I just think this place is really, really special," Director of nonprofit Heart of Ellsworth Cara Romano said while walking down Main Street in downtown Ellsworth.
For Romano, Ellsworth isn't just home, it's a community she's proud to be a part of.
"It's just sort of infectious. I mean people really care; people are sprucing up their storefronts," Romano said.
And with a $250,000 grant from the Maine Office of Tourism, she explained how the organization is hoping to show even more people all the great things her community has to offer.
"We're such a destination for food and for shopping, for trails, our waterfront," Romano said.
Officials with Heart of Ellsworth said they'll be working with city officials like City Manager Charlie Pearce to create a marketing campaign that will promote the city as a premiere destination for anyone visiting Down East Maine.
"Not just highlighting how great this place is for our summer tourists here and help support our businesses and our local economy, but for the people in this entire region," Pearce added that the potential increased traffic from marketing could help the city grow. "We have new businesses coming on board all the time. There's a housing development for 150 units that's in proposal right now. There's another subdivision that's in proposal."
City leaders also said the grant could also help local businesses, like Union River Book and Toy Co. on Main Street, thrive during slower times of the year like winter.
"In the offseason from January until May, we could use any help we can get getting more people coming to downtown Ellsworth and shopping in downtown Ellsworth," owner of Union River Book Co. Molly DiLena said.
And with continued initiatives from organizations like Heart of Ellsworth, Dilena said she and other businesses owners can help make the city a place everyone wants to visit.
"I just think there's a lot to do in this small town," DiLena said.
The Heart of Ellsworth said it will have until September 2025 to use all $250,000 of the tourism grant.