PORTLAND, Maine — Charlie Haberstock has always had a deep love for Maine.
Haberstock, who is now a student at Hamilton College in New York, has already checked traveling to every Maine town and city off of his bucket list. For the last two years, Haberstock has been working on turning his passion for Maine into a side hustle.
At the start of the pandemic and while he was still in high school, Haberstock decided to put his drawing pen to tablet and get to work. At first, he envisioned creating collectible cards with a Maine focus but then realized the market for those would be slim. Instead, he decided to design typical playing cards featuring a Maine town or city on each one.
"It was definitely not an idea that came suddenly. It evolved over time and I think mainly out of my love for Maine," Haberstock said. "Even long before the pandemic, I would use my free time looking at the DeLorme Gazetteer, also, just doing silly little projects or just mapping Maine in certain ways."
After the success of his first deck 'Maine Towns,' Haberstock designed a second 'Maine Lakes & Islands.' His latest deck is 'Maine Lighthouses.'
It features photographs taken by professional Maine photographer, Mike Leonard.
"I was very excited when I saw the images and just how beautiful they were," Haberstock said. "They were perfect and nothing I could have replicated myself."
Leonard said he saw Charlie's cards on 207 and that he was instantly impressed and wanted to collaborate with him. Leonard runs his own photography business and not only travels the state photographing lighthouses but teaches others how to as well.
The new decks are featured in shops across the state and online. Click here to learn more.
Watch the full interview to learn more about how Leonard captured the photos for the cards and what Haberstock is working on next.
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