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.