A Love Affair in Orono

Love is in the air. Love of the arts. Love of Orono. Love of UMaine. And, of course, love of chocolate.

Please join Maine Maven for a pre-Valentine’s Day celebration. From 6 to 8 p.m. Friday, Feb. 10, Maine Maven will host a fundraiser for Orono’s sculpture in the Schoodic Sculpture Symposium. The event is free and open to the public, and donations are encouraged.

The event will include a a truffle tasting with Black Dinah Chocolatiers and a silent auction (6 to 7 p.m.) including the work of well-known Maine artisans and designers. Maine Maven will donate a portion of the evening’s sales and all silent auction proceeds to the town of Orono to help pay for the sculpture the town will receive as a sponsor of the Schoodic International Sculpture Symposium.

Maine Maven is pleased to welcome Grace Ferguson as a guest of honor. Grace Ferguson is honorary co-chair of the summer 2012 sculpture symposium with her husband, UMaine President Paul Ferguson. After a successful debut Down East, the symposium will move inland in 2012, extending the reach of the Schoodic Sculpture Trail. The symposium will take place July 22- August 31, 2012, in the steam plant parking lot on the University of Maine campus. Orono, Old Town and Bangor will sponsor site-specific sculptures, as will the University of Maine, the University of Maine Foundation, Husson University and Eastern Maine Health Systems.

Many of the participants in the celebration are proud UMaine alumni, including Steve Shaffer of Black Dinah Chocolatiers, Maine Maven owners Jason and Kristen Lainsbury; and wedding and floral designer Amber Small of Sweetest Thing Weddings, who has donated flowers for the event and silent auction.

The celebration will also be a chance to check out the area’s newest — and smallest — gallery. Maine Maven will feature “Sensations of Home,” a solo show featuring Maine-focused work by UMaine alumna Rebecca Krupke.

“We’re passionate about the arts, and we’re thrilled that the symposium is coming to UMaine this summer,” says Maine Maven owner Jason Lainsbury. “We hope many people show up to support the symposium, which will be a great event for Orono, the university and the people of eastern Maine.”

For information about the Schoodic International Sculpture Symposium, visit http://schoodicsculpture.org/.

We're baaaaaack!

After a few days of R&R (rest and restocking) we're refreshed and the shop is full of fabulous new finds.

For the kiddos, we're thrilled to introduce handcrafted wooden memory games from Merchants Row. The Gulf of Maine Wooden Memory Tiles set is an heirloom-quality game that is perfect for little ones but stylish enough to serve as a home accent, as well.


For gents, we've expanded our line of Portland General Store toiletries, adding shave gel to the mix for all of you guys who prefer not to use a brush and straight razor. We've also added PGS' fabulous colognes in Wood and Moss, and vials of smelling salts, because old-school is how we roll...

And for the ladies, we've expanded our offerings from 2 Note Botanical Perfumery. We've added three solid perfumes — Vocalise, Vivace and Nocturne — along with a new variety of hand cream. Trust us, you and 2 Note will make beautiful music together.

Everyone is wild about Pam deSantis' brass jewelry, and she recently started dabbling more in silver. The results are stunning — the cool elegance of silver paired with Pam's signature earthy, warm aesthetic. Like poetry in metal.

Last, but certainly not least, we have brought in a ton of  new Stonewall Kitchen products. We're psyched about the new grill rubs – last night, we tried out the lemon-pepper chicken rub and it was awesome, but we also have a Maine seafood rub and blends for beef and pork, as well. And for all you sweet tooths, the lemon curd is back.

Sure, we were relaxing, but we were busy too. Come see what's new — we've missed you!

Something new for all you BeerME fans

 

 

 

 

Raise the bar! Lather up in a Pleasant River of Orange & Grapefruit.

Make Mom's Day

Your mother has always given you good advice. Remember that guy she told you to dump? Of course, he turned out to be a chump (well, actually, he turned out to be something that we don't say in polite company). Then there was the time when she urged you not to get that perm. You did anyway. And looking back at your prom pictures, you realize she was so right.

She also told you not to wait until the last minute. And yet, here we are. It's Mother's Day and you still haven't bought her anything. But like your mother, we've got your back. We can hook you up with something classy, even at the eleventh hour. Or the twelfth.

Here are a few of our Mother's Day favorites:

Cultured pearl earrings by Lisa Gent

We are incredibly lucky to showcase some of Maine's best jewelers, and we're pretty sure we have something to fit everyone's taste. For the chic-yet-bohemian type, we recommend Pam Tachibana's brass and stone jewelry — so warm and inviting. For the elegant sophisticate, we're wild about silver designs by the incredibly talented Lisa Gent and Heather Perry. Quench Metalworks incorporates antique buttons into intricate settings for a look that is a little bit vintage. And the fabulously affordable earrings from Ashley H Designs are incredibly popular.

What mom wouldn't love a tote from Sea Bags or Angela Adams? They're the Maine version of a status bag, and they're absolutely crave-worthy.

Ditto for the chocolate barks from Black Dinah Chocolatiers. There's a reason why they've been written up in Martha Stewart, Coastal Living and more. Taste for yourself...

Madder Root napkins

If you also forgot to make brunch reservations, no worries — bring bottle of Prosecco and one of our Stonewall Kitchen drink mixers and you're good to go. Bellinis, anyone?

The handprinted organic linens from Madder Root of Old Town are everyone's favorite, with good reason. They're gorgeous, elegant and perfect for every occasion. Consider the tea towels, napkins or Madder Root's newest project, produce bags — just the thing for the farmers' market.

And if none of this sounds right, we have lots of other options. Like we said, we've got your back. And don't worry — we won't tell mom what a procrastinator you are. In fact, we'll make it look like you've been thinking about this gift for months.

UMaine Graduation Gifts

May is a bittersweet time of year in Orono.

As classes wrap up at the University of Maine, the people who live in town breathe a little sigh of relief because the morning commute is faster and it's easier to get a table at your favorite restaurant.

But frankly, we're sad to see our students go. Especially the ones who are leaving for good, to pursue whatever the next step in their lives is.

For our soon-to-be University of Maine grads, we have a selection of unique gifts that celebrate their time at UMaine, their achievements and their ties to this lovely little place we call home.

For the fashionista (or the sailor), we suggest our exclusive Maine M Sea Bag. It's a stylish way to celebrate your alma mater.


For the party animal or the traditionalist, we suggest the "Drink, Drink, Drink! Fill Your Stein in Orono, Maine" T-shirt. The unofficial refrain to the "Maine Stein Song" is printed on American Apparel tees for men and women, and it's just the thing to celebrate happy times.








We're proud to carry Beer ME and Love ME hoodies printed in UMaine blue with the Maine M on the cuff. Adorable, and again, a perfect reminder of college fun.

Looking for something elegant and understated? We suggest our custom pendants, cufflinks and bracelets from CHART Metalworks. They feature an 1887 map of Orono covered in resin and set in sterling or bronze. They're wearable nostalgia, and we love them.

To our graduates, congratulations. Go far. But be sure to come back to visit — after all, it's the college of our hearts always.

Tea and Circumstance

When you were a kid, your mother would graciously attend your "tea parties." She'd sip your invisible tea. She wore the ridiculous boa that you gave her. And she didn't bat an eyelash when you asked the other guests — stuffed animals, whom you also dressed in ridiculous outfits — how they were enjoying everything.

Well, it's time to make it up to her. This Sunday, from noon to 2, we'll host a tea tasting and pre-Mother's Day shopping event at the shop. This would also be a good time to grab a gift for that UMaine senior in your life who's graduating in two weeks.

The tea will be real, prepared by Lisa Liberatore of Baxter Tea Co. And it will be delicious — Lisa, a Bangor native, finds exceptional teas from around the world and sells them from her headquarters in Gardiner. She gives 10 percent of her proceeds to Baxter State Park, her childhood playground.

The tea will be served with tasty delights prepared by Christina Wentworth and Janyce Boynton, the artisans behind Madder Root of Old Town. They make the most exquisite tea towels, napkins and produce bags from organic linen, hand-printed with original designs.

Because Lisa, Christina and Maine Maven owners Kristen and Jason are all UMaine alumni, we'll donate 10 percent of the day's sales to the University of Maine Alumni Association. So come join us. Shop for a cause. Sip some real tea. And while you're at it, pick up a thoughtful, beautiful, locally made Mother's Day gift.

After sitting through those tea parties, doesn't she deserve something great?