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Tiny Homes of Maine sales double amid pandemic

Founder Corinne Watson says sales have gone from three to six orders a month.

HOULTON, Maine — The pandemic has forced some Maine businesses to close their doors for good. In the case of the tiny home industry, sales are booming. 

"Orders have doubled since the pandemic,” says Tiny Homes of Maine founder Corinne Watson. 

In 2016, Watson opened her tiny home business in southern Maine. About a year ago, she returned to her roots in Houlton where she now runs her operation out of an old airplane hanger. 

Before the pandemic, Tiny Homes of Maine was selling three houses a month. Now, the business is receiving six orders a month.  

"We are delivering throughout New England and we have had requests as far as California,” says Watson.

With the business's success there have been some challenges. last year in 2019 production stopped as the state stopped issuing titles for tiny homes. 

"[Tiny homes] didn’t fit the RV definition, they didn’t fit the mobile home definition. They were somewhere in between," says Sen. Michael Carpenter (D) - Aroostook. "We had to modify the law to accommodate them because they’re quite frankly a new phenomenon."

Comparable to a human fitness tracker, the noninvasive device strapped on a lobster is designed to monitor heart rate and movement. ORONO, Maine - Miniature fitness trackers for lobsters, as well as devices to monitor the quality of their shipping conditions, are being prototyped as part of an initiative to reduce stress points and improve survival in the lobster supply chain for the Maine lobster industry.

In March, the state legislature passed LD 1981. It defines a tiny home as, "...a living space permanently constructed on a frame or chassis and designed for use as permanent living quarters."

Now, with the state issuing titles again folks are going tiny for a variety of reasons. Watson says you don't have to be a minimalist to purchase one of her tiny homes.

"We have a lot of clients that have a lot of belongings," she added. 

Watson says she's currently working on expanding both her team and facilities to keep up with the demand.

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