Interview by Mercedes Arnold

Portraits of Allison taken by Mallika Malhotra, unless otherwise noted.

Maine Vibes Magazine: Can you state your name and pronouns, and tell me a little about your business?

Allison Worden: I am the sole proprietor of Arctic Tern Books in Rockland, Maine; my pronouns are she/her/hers. I decided to open this boutique bookstore in order to create a space for people to escape the worries of the world, even if just for a few minutes, and discover something new. Books are such wonderful resources for discoveries of all kinds. Whether you are hoping to learn something about the world or yourself, gain a new perspective, or develop a new skill, it’s all available in books.

“I decided to open this boutique bookstore…to create a space for people to escape the worries of the world”

MVM:  Right, books themselves are an escape for people.

AW: They really are. And to enhance that experience of escape and discovery, all of the sideline products in the store are selected to be supportive, comforting, and intriguing. Some of the core product lines include greeting cards, teas, candles, blankets, and journals. 

MVM: How did you kind of come up with the idea to open a bookstore? Is it from wanting to have a space for others?

AW: It does stem from that. The very honest answer is that I spent a few years of my life caring for seriously ill family members, including my sister, Amber, who had cancer. Being on that journey with her, and seeing the incredible amount of hardship and suffering that people were experiencing, was so overwhelming and absolutely heartbreaking. It was during that time that I realized I wanted, someday, to create a space where people who were hurting could simply retreat for a bit and take a break. Life can be hard for so many reasons. It’s not always that way, thank goodness, but when it is, it's nice to have a place to go where you can find something akin to peace - a place that offers some encouragement or escape, hope or advice, or just something or someone that makes you smile. A bookstore was the perfect vehicle for that. 

Photo by Mercedes Arnold

MVM: Absolutely, and it’s gorgeous here. How do you curate the items that you decide to bring into your store?

AW: I try to focus on things that are going to be comforting and supportive for people and stay in those lanes. This can be difficult when you've got the world of wholesale at your feet. It’s easy to get distracted by so many other things, but I try to stay clearly focused on the mission of the store and let that drive my purchasing decisions.

MVM: Do people come to you and see your space and want to share their books or their art in here?

AW: Yes. Actually, the artwork behind the cash wrap right now is by one of my favorite local artists, Sal Taylor Kydd, and it is for sale. If artists have work that I feel fits the space and the mission of the store, and we can help each other by displaying it here for people to enjoy and purchase, I’m all about that. Sal happens to be a female artist, and I just realized the other day that all of the greeting card lines that I currently carry are created by women. While that didn’t drive my purchasing decisions, I do firmly believe in supporting women-owned, black-owned, and marginalized-owned businesses. Virtually all of the independent vendors I work with give back to social causes in some way, whether that is hiring women in India and paying them fair wages to keep them out of slavery or donating a percentage of their profits to animal rescue organizations.  

MVM: That’s exciting, I love that! The art is beautiful. 

AW: The book selection here is also very diverse and inclusive.

MVM: That is great and so important. What is your favorite thing about having a boutique bookstore?

AW: The thing that makes me the happiest, is when people walk through the door and I see their shoulders drop. When they simply stop and look around and say  “it’s so lovely in here,” or “it feels so good in here,” That’s when I know I've achieved my goal.

MVM:  I always recall the emotions I feel when I’m in a certain space, and that’s tied to your memory of that space. I certainly remember my favorite bookstore. What would you say is your biggest challenge so far? I know, it takes a year to understand the ebbs and flows of the business. But so far, have you found anything to be challenging about owning a space?

AW: Right now, my biggest challenge is figuring out how much inventory I'm going to need for the busy season. I've also been overwhelmed by the amount of shipping waste; all of the cartons and the plastic. It's not unique to my business, but it is definitely a challenging part of commerce in America. I’d like to find a way to put all of this packaging to productive use. 

MVM: Right, more and more companies are paying more attention to shipping waste and coming up with alternative solutions to reduce or repurpose the waste. But there has to be something done about that. We're so accustomed to ordering online now and it's so convenient but also produces a lot more waste.

AW: My response to that is always “Please shop local!” Buying what has already been shipped to your area makes such a difference. Not to mention the effect it has on building stronger communities and local economies.

MVM:  Yes, good point! How has it felt being in Maine? What kept you here?

AW: Coming to Maine was a deliberate choice after living in a wide variety of states and countries. When I came to the Midcoast area in 2018, I combined it with a business trip to Washington, DC, and I found myself just not wanting to leave. Driving away felt so incredibly difficult, and after my business trip was done, I came right back to secure a place to live. From that moment, Maine has just captivated me. I simply love it here.

MVM: I'm so happy to hear that Maine is a special place. Being on the coast is really special. My favorite spot to go in the summer is the ocean, it is so healing and comforting. I’m curious, how has owning a business in Maine been so far?

AW: I’ve been blown away by the number of resources available for entrepreneurs in Maine - and by how much of it is free. This is such a supportive state for entrepreneurs. From CEI to SCORE to grants, there's a lot of support out there.

MVM: I don't think a lot of people know about those resources. It feels like when you're starting out, you have no idea who to talk to or where to go for help, but once you start making connections, the women in business are so supportive.

AW: Yes, I have certainly experienced that. 

“To me, being a woman-owned business means leading with the heart”

MVM: What does being a woman-owned business mean to you?

AW: To me, being a woman-owned business means leading with the heart, being guided by your values instead of dollars, and being generous with your knowledge and resources. My neighboring business owner and good friend, Jennel Johnson-Pendleton, who owns the women’s boutique Barefoot in Denim, has actually built this into her business model. In her social media marketing, she regularly gives shout-outs to other local businesses and uses the term “community over competition.” It’s a supportive and cooperative mindset that I see among so many businesses here. I wouldn’t go so far as to say this is a “female mindset,” but I’ve read there may be evolutionary underpinnings for women working together collaboratively. For me, operating from a community-minded perspective just feels very natural and rewarding.

MVM: I definitely feel that and that is part of the magazine’s ethos as well.

AW: I have a beautiful story about this, actually. The gorgeous wall of bookshelves in the store was made by the amazing local company Bench Dogs, which is owned by the husband and wife team, Weber Roberts and Brooks Crane. Brooks is a designer, who also works independently, and she designed the shelving. While I was setting up shop, she stopped in to see how things were going and if I needed any help. I was struggling with where to place the furniture, so Brooks helped me move things around and worked her magic to create just the right flow. During all of that, we realized the sitting area could use a coffee table and she said she had one that her family wasn’t presently using that would fit the space really nicely. She said she needed to get some tires to the mechanic for seasonal rotation, so, if I could help her with that, we could get the tires and the coffee table at the same time and she’d loan the table to me. It worked out perfectly! And this is how it so often works; we help each other with this really generous spirit of reciprocity and that’s how we get shit done. 

MVM: So true, we do get shit done! Building from that initial connection, leading with love and with your heart, and opening yourself up to those connections always seems to lead to more.

AW: That’s the remarkable thing about Maine, I’ve found. I'm very upfront with this, because I think it's important for women to be. I’m 50 years old. I moved to Maine in my late 40s. People say it's hard to make connections when you're older, but it’s been so easy here because the people are so open and welcoming and truly interested in creating community. 

MVM: I'm glad, I hope being in Maine continues to be a good experience. Building off of that, what would you say is the best way to connect with other women-owned businesses and support each other?

AW: Some of my closest friends here in Maine are fellow entrepreneurs, and we actually became friends after first doing business with each other. Once you discover that you have similar interests and values with a business owner, start by supporting their businesses in whatever way you can, whether as a client for a service, a customer in a shop, or a follower on social media. It might seem small, but every time you comment, like, or share a social media post or write a review for a fellow business owner, you’re supporting them and building your connection. And when you feel a connection with someone, don’t be afraid to take the next step and ask if they want to get a coffee or go for a walk; and if you’re the one being asked, be open to doing those things when someone approaches you. You never know where that connection might lead.

MVM: Absolutely. We get so busy with our own lives that it's really easy to ignore that part, but the connection piece is important.

AW: The courses offered by the CEI Women Business Center and mentorship opportunities through SCORE are also great opportunities for connection. They can really help expand your network; you’re not just meeting people who are in your field, you’re meeting people with a variety of different strengths and skillsets and you can learn a lot from those alternate perspectives.

MVM: When you think about when you were younger and going to school, studying journalism, what have you learned through your experience of moving about the world that you would tell your younger self?

AW: There are quite a few, but I will distill it down to two. When it comes to business, the biggest thing I wish I had learned earlier, is to embrace failure. When failure presents itself in your life, congratulate yourself for having had the courage to have tried, learn from whatever it is that happened, and move on. Don’t dwell on failure, and don’t be afraid of it. You have to try; that's how we grow. With regard to simply being a woman in the world, the thing I wish I had learned a lot earlier in my life is, don't prioritize other people's comfort over your own well-being. Yes, be kind, be compassionate, be helpful, but know where to set boundaries so you don’t turn yourself into a miserable pretzel trying to make other people happy. Don't overextend yourself. Don’t give the best of yourself and your talent away without using any of it to fuel your own light and health and growth.

MVM: That's great advice, thank you so much. Failure is something to be feared, I think that’s why a lot of people don’t take the leap. 

AW: I'm a recovering perfectionist, so it can be kind of paralyzing.

MVM: That is my struggle, too. I hesitate when I want to put things out because it's not perfect to my standards. In learning and talking with other women, you just have to do it. You have to get it out there, it’s going to be okay. Learning from failure, what works, what doesn't work. This is how we get shit done! When I did the first ‘Feature Friday’ on Instagram, I kept hearing that people never knew there were so many women-owned businesses in Maine. Why do you think it is that people don’t know about all of these businesses? 

AW: I think it may be that we're not as good at tooting our own horns as we could be. We do what we do, and don't necessarily promote ourselves in the public or even see it as special. I was on a call with a local business organization recently, and a gentleman asked, ”What happened to old-fashioned press releases?” He noted that no one's really doing that as much as they used to; we’re not saying, hey, this happened, and it was important, and you should pay attention. And maybe that's something we could all do a bit more often.

“When failure presents itself in your life, congratulate yourself for having had the courage to have tried.”

MVM: Yes, definitely! Toot our own horns, get it out there. 

AW: Yes. Don’t keep ourselves small to make other people feel big. Just be true to ourselves, and if we’ve done something notable or are offering something awesome or unique, it can be rewarding to allow ourselves to really feel excited about it and to share that excitement and information with others.

MVM: Exactly. That’s why I created this magazine, for people to say how awesome they are and show their shit off.

AW: It’s fantastic. It’s also what I appreciate about the brighter side of social media. For all of its shortcomings, it does give us an opportunity to celebrate each other, and receiving positive energy and feedback, in any form, can be very motivating.

MVM: Absolutely, it’s a great use of social media. Are there any businesses you want to shout out to before we part? 

AW: There are so many! But I’ll limit my response to the amazing woman-owned businesses that have been instrumental in my own entrepreneurial journey - as friends, mentors, business partners, movers of heavy things, and mutual cheerleaders. Each and every one of these businesses are amazing!

Links:

@barefoot in denim

@greenacre_flowers

@mallikamalhotra.co

@modernandcontemporaryid

@portandpinecreative

@portlandarchitecturalsalvage

@quenchmetalworks

@vivienandcoco

After the interview, Allison walked me down Main Street and introduced me to some of the other women-owned businesses; a gesture that was very much welcomed and appreciated. Having talked about community over competition, we were living it at that moment. Thank you to Allison Worden for sharing your story and gorgeous space with me.

You can visit Arctic Tern Bookstore at 432 Main St., Rockland, Maine. 

Hours change seasonally, so check the store’s website for the most current information.

Web: arcticternbooks.com

Instagram: @arcticternbooks

Online bookstore: https://bookshop.org/shop/arcticternbooks