It’s sort of like walking into a restaurant before they are open for business.  The frenzy of last minute activities, the “almost ready but not quite” feel of the place, the “oh, right, customers!” look on the staff’s face.  But that’s what we do.

The dance was a curve-ball.  Did they want our carefully planned out selections?  Food pairings specifically suited for a particular event or setting?  Nope!  We jumped head straight into a personalized delivery.  It was a gift and timing was of the essence.  Moments later we pulled together a selection that your mom wish you’d send her way (and if she lived here, you could!).

Being still a bit early in the season, we weren’t sitting on that little bit of inventory we usually do, so we got to visit with some of our favorite local merchants for a few goodies.  The scent of 44 North Coffee that we ground ourselves was incredible.  It’s a good thing that the delivery was close by or we almost had to brew a cup right there in the car!

As you can imagine, we had a surprised and delighted recipient and an equally thrilled customer.

Another cool thing about our new season is that we can now accept phone orders and in-person payments.  We have a nifty cool gadget. Our Square card reader makes those orders a snap.  Online orders continue to be processed by PayPal, but we really love having more flexibility.

Oh and last but not least, did we tell you that we’ve been playing with our pricing?  Maybe you should take a look…. ;)

{playlist for this post: no music, just the buzzing of june bugs….}

We were just beginning to see the crocuses that we planted last fall.

We were just getting ready to pull the snow stakes out of the ground.

We were just packing up the last of the heavy-duty winter gear.

*sigh*

That’s alright.

We are using this “bonus” day to hunker down, dust things off and get the business all gussied up for you. We’ve begun reconnecting with our Partners and joining forces with some new folks.

As we get closer to the kick-off of our second season, we’ll let you in on some of what this summer has to offer.

Until then, did you know that you can find us on Twitter?  Follow us and read about all the good food and people that we like to pay attention to.

Our summer favorites:

1. Swimming at Curtis Cove
2. Numerous dinners at Boatyard Grill
3. Taking our daughter on her first ferris wheel at Blue Hill Fair

And now that things are beginning to slow down, we are beginning to shift gears. We are exploring our business model for the winter and will be looking at some mail-order fun for your loved ones.  What do you think?  What reminds you of our lovely little corner of the world?

Being the awesome folks that they are, they are featuring li’l old us in their next newsletter.  Join their mailing list by visiting their site.  Sign up soon enough and you’ll get to read our interview.

Thanks Millbrook!

ps: Oh, and for those curious about my favorite ice cream of theirs?  It’s currently Coffee Brownie Crunch.

Below is an excerpt from a newsletter-ette sent to those in the local vacation rental business.  We are already working with some (note the list’s subtitle) and wanted to reach out to the rest of the rental community.

***

Top 5 Reasons Why You’ll LOVE us!
…or Top 5 Reasons Why You Are Already Glad To Be Partnering With Us.

#5: We deliver a taste of Maine.
Most of what we offer is locally sourced. If it isn’t grown or produced in and around the Blue Hill Peninsula, it’s highly likely that it’s from somewhere here in Maine. And yes, we bring it right to your door, their door, anyone’s door!

#4: We make late-night/after-hour arrivals downright convenient AND wonderful!
Picture this. Your incoming tenants wonder where they can stop for a bite or pick up breakfast for the morning. We can have their goodies on-site before they arrive.

#3: We do custom orders.
Don’t want the Welcome Wagon, Big Day Out, or Shore Dinner?  No problem.  Though we think we’ve anticipated our customers needs, we are happy to fill a custom order.

#2: Yes, we deliver!
We mentioned it before but we’ll emphasize it here. Customers can choose when to receive their orders. How many other local businesses can offer that service?  We even deliver throughout the Blue Hill Peninsula. And our deliveries arrive in reusable shopping bags that our customers get to keep.

#1: We make you look great!
You’ve given your tenants the lowdown of the area, tips on what to do, places to go, etc.  Why not tip them off to the only grocery-delivery service in the area?

***

What?  You didn’t know that we have a newsletter?  Until we can get a fancy-schmancy sign-up on this blog, get on over to our site or Facebook page to subscribe.

The weather has been hot, sunny, rainy, windy (today) and huuuuuuuuumid.  We are grateful that we had the foresight to relocate some inventory to cooler climes…..because no one wants to eat less-than-perfect chocolate or un-crunchy granola…and boy are we glad that we did. Isn’t it good to know that we are looking out for you?

Looking for something new to try?  We are sharing a free package of Sea Biscuits by The Savory Baker in our Welcome Wagon.  We recently tried them, got our little paws on a case and decided that sharing them with you would be a brilliant idea.  We’d be happy to throw a bag into any of our other packages…just be sure to tell us when you place your order.

Working on a new newsletter.  Continuing to get the word out and reminding everyone that, “Yes. We do deliver!”  It’s a busy one around here.

Why is that? Well, my friends, we are open for business. Yes, after nearly a year of kicking this idea around in my noggin, and several months of trying to figure this out…it’s here.

Maybe you heard the news via our newsletter.  If you didn’t, you can read it here.

Maybe you heard about it on our Facebook page.  If you didn’t, you can visit us here.

A big thank you and sigh of relief to Molly B Designs and Michelle Keyo for getting us to this point.

There’s also the magic of doing business in a small town.  Leaving the library (we LOVE Blue Hill Public Library, don’t you?),  we find ourselves chatting with friends, catching up on each other ventures, and exchanging info and materials along with baby and kiddo news. In a matter of minutes I’ve greeted our blueberry supplier (welcome back Stoneset Farm!) and am hatching a plan with our friends who own A Fishin’ Sea Charters…and all in the parking lot mind you!

While technically we are open for business and can take your order, we’ll wait and celebrate more when our entire website is live. We are still a bit in ignore-the-man-behind-the-curtain-mode.

But, have YOU been to our homepage and subscribed to our newsletter yet?  We’ll announce the launch of our site and our first contest.  Yes, my little kittens, we are going to have the occasional game to spice things up.

Meanwhile, enjoy the blooming lilacs…this week’s nod to spring.

The final push to finish the site is underway…as is sampling the last of some goodies before the first round of orders get placed.  It’s quite a busy little hive over here!  Stay tuned.

*Another shout out to Molly and Michelle for their time and talents!

There’s Black Dinah Chocolatiers and their bark. There’s El El Frijoles and their chips, salsa and that bean dip! We’ve got  Lucy’s Granola for morning. There’s Millbrook Company with their baked goods and ice cream. Nervous Nellie’s Jams and Jellies will keep us stocked with preserves and chutneys. We’ve got Stoneset Farm and their blueberries.  There’s also Sunset Acres and their goat cheese.  We’ve even gotten in touch with the folks at Carpe Diem to hook us up with their coffees and teas.

And the list of Partners is growing. It’s really amazing. Our work isn’t done.  Oh, no.  we still have a few products that need sourcing, but we are optimistic and know that we’ll find what we need in our little corner of Maine. Do you offer something that we might want to carry?  Let us know. We’d love to hear from you.