Woodsong Market opens in Boothbay Harbor

Sat, 05/13/2023 - 3:00pm

    Visitors and residents in Boothbay Harbor have a new spot to explore that combines eating and shopping. Emily and Nick Mirabile have moved their Woodsong Market Coffee Shop and Gifts from Edgecomb to 93 Townsend Ave.

    After a soft opening April 15, the market is officially open six days a week, from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. and closed on Tuesdays, in May. It will later be open seven days a week with a later daily closing time, to be decided.

    The Mirabiles offer breakfast and lunch treats as well as espresso, latte and cappuccino drinks from Seacoast Coffees in Wiscasset. Chai, Merry Auld teas, sweet tea and frozen real fruit smoothies are on the drinks menu.

    Breakfast sandwiches are served up on a choice of bread, bagel or English muffin. Turnovers, scones and warm cinnamon buns are also on the menu.

    Sandwiches include BLTs, clubs, Reubens, chicken salad, buffalo chicken and turkey. The sandwiches are created with the Mirabiles’ creative spin on the ingredients and avacado, cheese and vegetables can be added. Grab and go pizza slices are also available.

    “A couple of the menu items are ideas from my parents’ deli,” Emily explained. Her parents Ginny and George Bishop owned Eastside Market and Deli. “Other ideas came from what people are looking for.”

    The business has gone “really well” Emily said, adding that two of the most popular menu items are the breakfast sandwiches and the Reuben which is served on a marble rye bagel.  

    The market has a wine section with wines from around the world for sale by the bottle along with beer from Maine brewers: Maine Beer Company, Footbridge Brewery, Oxbow and Boothbay Craft Brewery.

    Woodsong Market offers Maine products, soap, apparel and books from small businesses like theirs and photo processing and copying. Maple syrup is from Sweetwoods Farm in Newcastle. Hats from Rogue Life in Lewiston are also offered.

    The Mirabiles are 2004 graduates of Boothbay Region High School, have children, Oscar, 6 and Louie, 1, and live in Edgecomb. They bought Harbor-Tech Solutions from Russell Brackett in 2018 but the COVID pandemic forced them to close in 2020 and they opened Woodsong Market on Route 1 in Edgecomb.

    “When we realized that the large retail space in a small mall didn’t work, we looked for another location,” Emily explained. “The Edgecomb building had been up for sale and it was uncertain.” The couple learned only a month before the move that the former Maine & Ivy location was available. Nick and his friends moved everything from the Edgecomb location to the Harbor on the January day that set records for cold temperatures.

    “For us, we bought a business before the pandemic hit. We’ve been trying to dig ourselves out of the hole the pandemic created and we’re going to work hard to do that,” Emily said. In addition to working at the market, Emily is arts and humanities director for Boothbay Region Y, where she works with teens. This helps the couple find staff for the market since, as she explained, “The kids are part of Y Arts so we know them well.”

    “We are locally owned ... and we pride ourselves that we live and work in the area. We’re going to stay here and plan to raise our kids here.”