Naples Maine Food Pantry

The Naples Maine Food Pantry, located in the basement of the United Methodist Church of Good Fellowship, provides free groceries to local residents who are struggling financially.

I happened into the Food Pantry last week when I was helping a co-worker run some errands, and I was immediately impressed by the friendliness of the staff and the quality of the food being distributed.

Each person who walks into the pantry for food is greeted with a friendly smile by Barbara and Cindy, who make small talk as they fill boxes with food.  Each family fills out a form listing any specific needs they may have.  Need dog or cat food?  Out of paper towels?  Prefer unprocessed or organic food?  Kids like a specific snack?  Write it on your card, and the ladies will do their best to pack a box with exactly the items your family prefers.  

After your box of dry goods has been filled from their well-stocked pantry, each family is able to pick out meats, fruits, vegetables, and baked goods from among those spread out on the tables.  David and Launnie staff the tables, offering friendly help and pointing out the goodies of the week.  We walked out of there with a watermelon and apples, fresh veggies, and some steaks.  We tried to pass up the baked goods for healthier fare, but a pie still ended up going home with us.  

Most of the food is generously donated by Hannaford's, a grocery store in N. Windham, the next big town down the road, and produce is also donated by local farmers. Occasional food drives by local civic groups help to fill the pantry with dry goods.  

When I asked Launnie what their biggest challenge is, she told me that they would love to find a local dairy that would regularly donate eggs, milk, and cheese.  Right now the Food Pantry only has a sporadic supply of those items, but they are the very things that families need most.  The Food Pantry would love to be introduced to someone at Oakhurst Dairy, a major dairy distributor located in Portland.  Launnie would be willing to drive to Portland every Monday to pick up donations.   

If you are a resident of Naples going through tough times, the Naples Maine Food Pantry will happily help you until you get back on your feet.  Stop by on Tuesdays from 10 am to noon and from 5pm to 7pm.

If you are a summer resident or tourist, and want to give back to this great little community, consider making a donation of food or money.   You'll see boxes set up all over town that say Naples Maine Food Pantry on them.  When you're shopping for groceries to bring up to camp, buy a few extra items and throw them in the box.  There's a box just inside the door at the Naples Public Library, where I'm writing this.

If you're a local farmer with extra produce or dairy, or you can introduce Launnie to someone at Oakhurst Dairy, call Launnie at 207-838-9045, and she'll be happy to pick up your donations.  

Gazebo Tees

If Naples is the heart of Maine's Lakes Region, then Gazebo Tees is definitely the heart of the Naples Causeway. 

After spending a long day lounging around camp reading a good book, or boating out on Long Lake, or maybe hiking a trail, summer people like to head out to the Causeway for a little distraction. One favorite way to kill time while enjoying the air conditioning on a hot day, is to to stop by Gazebo Tees to look around at all the cool stuff.

Gazebo Tees, 4th of July 2011

Yes, it's a pet goat, waiting in the rain for the parade to start.

Out front, you can browse through a huge collection of 5 for $20 T-shirts. They print the shirts right upstairs, so every day there's something new out there. It's also worth checking out the bargain bin just outside the front door, where you can find not-quite-perfect shirts for next to nothing.

The store inside is huge, stocked with T-shirts, hoodies, and sweat pants, as well as gift items and souvenirs, wind chimes, sunglasses, water toys, candy, and puzzles. A favorite this year is their collection of mood rings. Just about everyone who comes in has to try one on to see what their mood is. Most of the customers are on vacation, so it's no wonder that their mood is usually calm and relaxed.  Or, maybe it's just that the mood of the whole store is calm and relaxed.


Judy and Henry Turcotte started selling T-shirts on that spot in the early 1990s. Before that, it had been the site of an old clam shack. In the beginning, Henry and Judy sold shirts out of the back of a big truck with a roll-up back. Their shirts were so popular, that people were snatching them up before they could even get the boxes unloaded and set out on tables. Business was booming, but Maine can be rainy during the summer, and that made it a challenge to keep all the shirts dry.

One year, the Turcottes decided to solve that problem by setting up a huge Army mess tent with roll-up sides. This was a huge improvement for them, because now they could display their merchandise no matter what the weather, and they no longer had to unload and re-load boxes of shirts every day. Unfortunately, though, many of the locals were none too happy about having an old green army tent set up on their Causeway. The Town of Naples was routinely getting 40 complaints about the eyesore before it was even noon, so it was time to find a different solution.

The following year, the Town of Naples allowed the Turcottes to build their now-famous Gazebo. Gazebo Tees has been growing and changing ever since. Every year, it seems, there is a new addition being added on to the building, as the business continues to grow.  People who have been coming to the store for years get a kick out of seeing what has changed since the last time they were in.  There's always something different to ogle and admire.

A few years later, Henry and Judy built a restaurant next door to the Gazebo, and opened Long Lake Lobster, featuring a seafood and breakfast buffet. After one season, though, they decided to close the restaurant, connect the two buildings, and enlarge the booming T-shirt business.

When they first began printing T-shirts on-site, the presses were separated from the store by a glass wall, and customers could actually watch while they made the shirts. Eventually, however, their business increased to the point that they could no longer print shirts and take care of customers at the same time, so they added on a second story and moved the factory upstairs.

Gazebo Tees is only open during the summer months now, but for five years the store was open year-round. Henry and Judy stocked the shelves with Christmas items and gifts, hoping to lure the locals, but it never caught on. Local people just don't spend money like tourists do, so the Turcottes decided to spend the coldest months of the year in Florida and open the T-shirt shop only during the summer. They've always been famous for finding ingenious solutions to their business challenges!

4th of July Parade, 2011
As soon as the parade started, it began pouring rain,
then stopped exactly when the parade ended.
The little girl, bottom center, didn't care.
She stood out in the rain, happily watching the whole thing!

If you happen to be in town on the 4th of July, you'll get to see the Gazebo Tees float in the parade. You can't miss it: a huge pirate ship called Pirates of the Causeway. Every year they blast music and throw out pirate beads, T-shirts, and candy. It's a lot of fun, and definitely worth planning a special trip.

Henry and Judy Turcotte are long-time Naples residents, and both of them serve as firefighters with Naples Fire and Rescue. Even though I'm a Florida resident, I was able to open a checking account at Evergreen Credit Union down the street because I'm working at Gazebo Tees for the summer. Anita, who processed my paperwork, told me that I was fortunate to be working for the Turcottes. "Everyone in town knows them," she told me, "and even more important, everybody likes them."

I am, indeed, fortunate to be working at Gazebo Tees for the summer. If you happen to be in the neighborhood, stop by and say hi. Try on a mood ring. Pick up a new hoodie or T-shirt.  I promise you'll enjoy the visit.

Gazebo Tees is located at 894 Roosevelt Trail, in Naples, Maine. They are open from 8am to 9pm every day.

Naples in Summer

Summer comes and goes quickly in Maine.  The season officially begins on the 4th of July and ends on Labor Day, not long before the first snow comes.  In the Lakes Region of Western Maine, summer residents head up to camp to enjoy boating, fishing, and just sitting on the porch listening to the loons calling out over the lake.

The small town of Naples (population 3,872) becomes a booming lakeside resort in the summer.  Situated on a causeway separating Long Lake and Brandy Pond, Naples is a mecca for summer tourists looking for T-shirts, ice cream, boat rentals, and waterfront dining.

Up to camp in Naples, Maine

For years I've dreamed of spending summers in Maine, far away from the muggy Florida heat.  This year, I decided to make that happen by convincing a friend to let me stay in her basement, and getting a summer job working at Gazebo Tee's on the causeway in Naples.

I spend my afternoons and evenings at the T-shirt shop helping tourists find souvenirs, enjoying the view of Long Lake across the causeway.  In the mornings I'm out on the porch, sipping coffee and learning to play my ukulele, enjoying the smell of the pine trees and breathing in the fresh Maine air.  I'm in heaven.

As I learn my way  around town, visiting all that Naples has to offer, I'll write about it here. That way, even if you're stuck somewhere in your own private hell, you can share in this little bit of heaven.  Light a stick of balsam incense to set the mood, kick your feet up, and come with me as we learn to kick back and relax, Maine style.