In the aftermath of the pandemic, OneSixtyFive, formerly the Brunswick Inn, will reopen to the public on April 15, marking the first time the entire property is accessible in more than two years. 

The 175-year-old building has served as a private home, a boarding house, a bed and breakfast and will now revamp itself as a luxury boutique hotel at 165 Park Row.

“We pivoted when COVID hit in March 2020,” Eileen Hornor, the owner, said. “We ended up housing Bowdoin students who were not able to go home either because of medical situations in their families or a variety of other reasons. At that point from March until May of that year, I had six students living here.”

Hornor added: “Due to the fact that the property has three different buildings, I decided to create a boutique hotel experience in the main house. So, those are brand new rooms, furnishings, mattresses and tile beds. It is a much higher quality and upscale hotel experience.” 

The rebrand occurs as the Bath Brunswick Regional Chamber of Commerce reports in December 2020 that the average Maine business would need $65,000, on top of the revenue they were expected to make during the pandemic to guarantee they will be open throughout 2021. 

“One of the things we noticed was that the businesses that acted quickly had the most success, whether that was shutting down for a little while or applying for loans,” Bath Brunswick Regional Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Cory King said. “As everything reopened, it got better and better. We saw businesses that changed their model, delivery and approach.” 

King says that businesses are continuing to evolve after the pandemic because they realize that the changes are beneficial to their brand. 

“Some of those changes are continuing as we take our first steps into a post-covid world because the businesses find that is a good practice for them,” King said. 

Among those who kept their heads above water is Gwenda Pryor, the owner of Pryor House Bed and Breakfast in downtown Bath. Pryor said that her business recovered easily from the pandemic.

“It has been easier for us to recover because we are very small,” Pryor said. “We only have three rooms, and it is not like we had a lot of employee issues to grapple with while we were recovering. However, I will say this, last year was probably one of the busiest summers we have ever had. I think that people are just starving to get out and do things again. Reservations are looking pretty strong this summer as well.” 

Small Maine businesses got an additional boost earlier this month with $5 million dispersed through Gov. Mills’ Maine Jobs & Recovery Small Business Grant Program. There were $382 businesses that received grants averaging $12,700.

It may not all be smooth sailing ahead. The omicron BA.2 subvariant of the is expected to be the next dominant strain of coronavirus, according to the CDC, the impacts of which are unknown. Meanwhile, skyrocketing inflation may put the hurt on customers and businesses alike.

Local economic leaders, however, note that Midcoast businesses are resilient. Marketing Coordinator for the Brunswick Downtown Association, Patti Spencer-Yost reiterated King’s notion that many businesses have changed to withstand the coronavirus.

“People have pivoted to change up their business model if it was necessary to work better during COVID,” Spencer-Yost said, citing “all the curbside pick-ups, delivery and anything that small businesses needed to do to help keep their businesses afloat.”

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