Down East Magazine, November 2026

Features All in the Family Some of the state's most iconic companies–from retail giant L.L. Bean to frozen-blueberry purveyor Wyman's–have been in the same families for generations. Here, we take a look at the wider range of longtime family-owned and-operated businesses that make Maine a better place to live, work, and play. By Joel Crabtree It Takes a Village The Midcoast Villager launched with big ambitions. Can the small-town paper set an example for the future of local journalism? By Rachel Slade Photographed by Hannah Hoggatt Recipe for Success? One of the country's culinary meccas, Portland draws throngs of curious diners from far and wide. Running a restaurant in the city had never been harder. By Paul Koenig Where in Maine Dooryard North by East Drinking It In The final days at a pioneering fruit winery. Maine Moment Free Lunch A restaurant owner bites off an ambitious hunger-relief project. Old Soul A nostalgic shooter exposes an antique art form. Kelping Out A start-up floats a substitute for plastic made from seaweed. Maine Dispatches Blazing a Trail A pathbreaking gazetteer turns 50. Not So Run of the Mill German food in a former textile factory? Far from the wurst idea. Room With a View A fruitful reprieve from the pressures of guiding. Special Ad Section: Maine Made How a state program helps support hundreds of local makers. My Favorite Place Reny's president John Reny, on Round Pond Harbor. ON THE COVER Cruising Portland's Old Port. Photo by Dave Waddell.