Kate Hall, owner of a microgreens farm and juice business, reflects on the challenges of being a single mom and small business owner during the pandemic. She made the most of it by teaming up with fellow businesses to create a weekly delivery service that provides local goods.

What's it like to sell or buy a business in the middle of the pandemic? Laura Serino recently sold Island Apothecary, the natural skincare company she founded, to longtime employee and friend, Fiona Robins. They discuss navigating this transaction in uncertain times.

Tessa Rosenberry and Davis Saltonstall co-founded ScrapDogs Community Compost. We talk about their start-up story, the importance of sustainable food systems, their goal to create an organics management business, and how they have navigated the pandemic.

Merritt Carey is the Community Relations Director at Luke’s Lobster. We talk about her extensive and diverse career, the importance of adaptive learning, and how she’s "never been afraid to drink from the firehose."

Maine’s fishermen and coastal communities have been challenged due to the impacts of the pandemic. We discussed the trajectory of the lobster season this summer and the future of the industry with small business owner and commercial lobsterman, Dave Cousins.

We checked in with some of the business owners we first spoke with at the start of the pandemic to see how things are going—Melissa Raftery & Megan Wood of 44 North Coffee and Gabe Pendleton of Pendleton Yacht Yard.

We checked in with some of the business owners we first spoke with at the start of the pandemic to see how things are going—Alison Thibault, owner of WindHorse Arts  and Liz Lovell of North Haven Brewing Company.

Cyndi Prince is the founder and CEO of LooHoo, which makes wool dryer balls—a reusable, energy-saving alternative to dryer sheets. Cyndi started LooHoo—a women-owned and Black-owned business—in her home and now leverages a local supply chain to meet a global market. Cyndi discusses how Maine’s business community can address racial injustice, and how organizations can help amplify black voices.

The Island Institute presents Commercial Currents, a show about small businesses on Maine's Islands and Coast. If you're a small business owner, an aspiring entrepreneur, or just interested in small business in Maine, this is the show for you!

The hospitality industry has been hit hard by the pandemic, and unfortunately, the Topside Inn is no exception. Rather than shut their doors, Innkeepers Mark and Brian Osborn got creative and rethought their business model. 

Produced and edited by Galen Koch of The First Coast.