BAR HARBOR — Once the foliage has fallen, school has started and the cold begins to set in, many restaurants and stores around the island shutter their windows, close up their kitchens and begin the hibernation process.
Come January, it is not always easy to find a quick bite to eat or make last-minute dinner plans. On the flip side, for restaurants that do stay open, it can be hard to get the message out. Jennifer Cough, owner of First Express Packaging and Shipping in Bar Harbor, created the C-19 Zombie Waste Land Master Plan amid the COVID-19 pandemic to help connect open businesses with eager patrons.
“Really, it just started out so we could all survive,” said Cough. “So we started a list, and it was very short because a lot of people weren’t open then anyway because they’re seasonal. But the people who were year-round needed support.” The list includes restaurants, food stores and liquor stores across the island that remain open through the winter.
Cough described that during the pandemic shutdown, “Everybody was like, what’s open? What’s open? Who’s doing takeout? Who’s doing what? So we started a list. Long story short, I just keep doing it.”
Cough begins compiling the list around Nov. 1 when the cruise season ends and then edits it almost daily. She, along with her friend Keith, messages owners and managers of businesses across the island to stay updated on their ever-changing schedules.
“I mean, basically I do it whenever I get information, and I update it and I download it and I put it on Facebook,” said Cough. “For example, the Jan. 8 version, I had to change it three times.”
Now that Cough has been publishing the list for almost four years, business owners have gotten in the habit of contacting her when they have a schedule change.
Cough explained that winter is a difficult time for many businesses. “The only reason all of us can stay open is because we have tourism in this town,” she said. As the owner of First Express, she believes that all the small business owners are a team. “We’re all in this together. That’s why I did this. Because if we don’t work together, we’re not going to be here,” she said.
To see updated versions of the C-19 Zombie Waste Land Master Plan, visit Jennifer Cough’s Facebook page, www.facebook.com/islandwinegirl.
Piper Curtin covers municipal government in Southwest Harbor and arts for Mount Desert Island. She recently moved to Southwest Harbor after graduating from St. Lawrence University. Piper welcomes tips and story ideas.
