I spend most of my twenties and early thirties traveling and quickly learned that the two keys to a good trip are flexibility and good recommendations from someone with great taste. So today I’m very excited to share the first in what will be a regular series here on Foxside in addition to the usual design content. Good Spots will feature ten(ish) recommendations for what to do, eat/drink and where to stay in a location I love. Sometimes I’ll give my recommendations, but mostly I’ll bring in experts with excellent taste to share their recommendations.
We’re starting off strong today, with one of my favorite places in the whole wide world: midcoast Maine. I lived in the midcoast for several years, but haven’t been back in a bit, so I called up two old friends who definitely meet the “excellent taste” qualification to get their recommendations.
Ten years ago Ben Dorr and Emily Seymour, midcoast natives, married couple and two of the coolest, kindest folks I know, started a men’s consignment shop called Curator in downtown Rockland, Maine. In 2019 they expanded to include womenswear, and in 2023 opened a second shop called Little Fox that features children’s consignment clothes. As their website explains, they source “from consignors near and far, cedar closets tucked away in attics, boxes in the back of garage sales, and myriad other secret spots.”
Shopping at Curator is like raiding your most effortlessly stylish friend’s closet. When you go, be sure to block off some time, because it is absolutely packed with gems and you are going to want to linger and debate and linger some more, and then ultimately end up walking out with a bunch of amazing clothes that will be your favorites for years to come. Or at least that’s been my experience.
And their store, Little Fox? I mean, c’mon. If this isn’t the cutest coat I’ve ever seen…
Some logistics before the list: midcoast Maine technically refers to the swath of coastal-adjacent land between Brunswick and the Penobscot river, but what we’re talking about here is really more the greater Rockland, Rockport and Camden region. I’ll do a Good Spots for Brunswick to Damariscotta at another time.
Also, these recommendations are for winter in this area. A lot of people think of going to midcoast Maine in the summer or fall, but winter is also spectacularly beautiful and very cozy. So without further ado, the Good Spots, via Ben and Emily.
The Norumbega. Owners Will and Brett are so hospitable, and their incredible work renovating and running this historic property that they purchased in 2022 has earned them a Michelin Key and landed them on the Travel + Leisure Best Hotels of the World list in 2024 and 2025.
Breakfast
Lunch
Dinner/Drinks
Wine/Cheese/Picnic Supplies
Curator & Little Fox- Consigned clothes for adults and children.
Stone Soup Books- A dreamy used book store that’s been around since 1982.
Cedar Grove Sauna- Wood-fired saunas on freshwater ponds.
Whelp, that list makes me super eager to get back to the midcoast. Time to start planning a trip. Huge thanks to Ben and Emily for lending their expertise! Know someone who would like this list?
Do you have other locales you’d like to see recommendations for? Let me know and I’ll start a list…
In the meantime, as usual, a few design-y/garden-y things from around the internet that I’ve enjoyed recently:
If you’re in the northeast US, now is the time to get those wool rugs outside!
If I get like 50,000 paying Substack subscribers, you’ll find me writing from here. There are five bedrooms, so we can set up a rotation system for each of you to come and stay.
Saturday, Feb 21 is the first Open Garden Day of the year. That’s not so far away!
Chin up, all. Spring is coming!
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