PORTLAND, Maine — While the twinkling lights and ringing bells of downtown Christmas shopping may have to wait until next year, buying local for the holidays is as available as ever -- and one way to ensure your favorite stores are still in business next season.
COVID-19 has devastated Maine's economy, and countless stores, restaurants, and other businesses have folded as customers stay home to stay safe.
But others have "pivoted," adapting their business to the pandemic by adding or promoting online shopping -- and allowing Mainers to keep their shopping dollars local and support their communities.
Jasmine Clayton, designer and owner of Kurier, a leather goods store in the heart of Portland's East End, shut down completely when COVID-19 first crept into Maine, then sewed and sold about 3,000 face masks, she said.
Once she pivoted, though, she reopened with two employees, taking careful precautions including insisting on face masks and hand sanitizer and limiting the number of the customers in the store to three.
Clayton is ready to take online -- and in-person -- orders for the brightly-colored leather tote bags she's known for.
"We have a lot of stuff that is ready to go [and] I'm making new stuff every day," Clayton said.
"It's been tricky," she added. "The past few months have definitely been a very unique experience for everybody ... for the most part, everyone I've talked to has been able to pivot and make it. You know, I don't know if I'm in it for the long term -- if we can all keep it going -- but we've all said, 'OK, right now I might not make the item I'm supposed to make, but I can sew face masks.'"
!["We have a lot of stuff that is ready to go [and] I'm making new stuff every day," Clayton said.](https://media.newscentermaine.com/assets/WCSH/images/1100ac39-20cd-411e-a04b-4c921f0c119a/1100ac39-20cd-411e-a04b-4c921f0c119a_1920x1080.jpg)
"I think that the idea that the money stays in the community is key, and it also really gives an opportunity for the community to embrace the people that live there," Clayton said. "It sort of makes the community grow a little bit by allowing us to share the talents that we have."
Advocates for Maine's fishermen have also launched a #GiveMaineSeafood campaign to encourage doing just that for the holidays or any time of year.
The pandemic hit Maine's fishing fleet particularly hard as restaurants shut down, chefs stopped buying haddock and lobster, and fishermen tied up their boats.
Monique Coombs' husband, Herman Coombs, fishes year-round out of Orr's Island in Harpswell. Monique is director of marine programs at Maine Coast Fishermen's Association and runs a website, Aragosta Mama, about fishing families. Fishing supports their family, including two children who this year began lobstering themselves.
"Giving Maine seafood for a gift, either during the holiday season, or really any time of year, supports fishing families like mine," she said. "Even better, if you can get your family hooked on seafood, they'll continue to support fishing families in coastal communities in Maine.
A number of other Maine businesses offer unique gifts that keep dollars in Maine, including Rwanda Bean in Portland. The company encourages people to give subscription for coffee delivered to the recipient -- and to sponsor one year of health insurance for a Rwandan farmer who grows those beans. One year of health insurance costs $5.
Other options include:
- A F/V Hayley Ann Sea Bag, a collaboration of the Maine company Sea Bags and the nonprofit MCFA. After a longtime Maine fisherman and his crew died in January while fishing, his daughter designed the bag to honor his legacy. All proceeds support MCFA.
- Fresh produce, meat and fish year-round through a farm share at farms all around Maine.
Portland Buy Local has created a Buy Local Gift Guide, and Black Owned Maine includes a directory of Black-owned businesses searchable by region, category or map.
Clayton, of Kurier, said her sales may not skyrocket this year, but she's paying the rent, herself and her two employees, which she said is "an amazing thing" this year.
"It is our small little store and our small website and, um, it's slow going but we're hanging in there," she said.
