Pride in the Kennebunks: A powerhouse mother-daughter duo prioritizes community care.
For some kids, the perfect summer night ends with a car ride downtown for ice cream. As a child, Corey Burns Tracy most certainly enjoyed these summertime escapades, but the biggest delight for her wasn’t confectionery—she admired all the homes along the way.
Perhaps Corey was predisposed to her calling in real estate because of her upbringing. Her mother, Heidi Burns Maynard, has sold homes around southern Maine for 42 years, all through Corey’s childhood in Kennebunkport. Today the two form a dynamic mother-daughter team at Pack Maynard, a real estate firm located in Kennebunk.
Corey honed her real estate chops at a young age, serving as Heidi’s assistant when she was in high school. When she turned 18, she was quick to get her real estate license. Apart from a brief stint in Virginia, born from a desire to see somewhere else before settling down to the community where she was already deeply rooted, Corey has been in the business in Kennebunk ever since.
“I’m very detail-oriented and the list maker,” Corey says, “and she’s the empath that feels everything. Where I’m very much in my head, she’s in her heart, so we make a wonderful team that way. Growing up in the business, I had a wonderful teacher to learn from.”
Reflecting upon their partnership—within the last five years, Corey became co-owner of the firm—one thing is clear, the feeling is mutual. “She’s the best of the best,” Heidi says. “I couldn’t have a better daughter—but also better person—to do this with.”
Pack Maynard is a family-run business that puts family first. Heidi and Corey both emphasize how close-knit their firm is. Heidi sees that these values of care and support connect both to the community where they work as well as to the nature of the field: guiding people who are searching for their next home.
“It’s really about helping people in all walks of life,” says Heidi. “You help people in their final stages when they have to leave their homes and their memories, and then young people that are starting out in their first home. It’s a pretty amazing career.”
Both Corey and Heidi relish how much of a year-round community the Kennebunks have become. While the summer season brings a swell of visitors to both Kennebunk and Kennebunkport, year-round residents have much to enjoy into the winter months too. The towns boast a booming culinary scene with heavy hitters like Earth at Hidden Pond, farmers’ markets, craft fairs, and an ice-skating rink at The Waterhouse Center.
As much as summer tourism brings money and wealth to the region, from their vantage, both Heidi and Corey see a more complex portrait of their community.
In 2017, Heidi and Lesa Kraft Angelos founded CS3—Character Strong, Community Strong, Children Strong—a multi-pronged nonprofit designed to uplift folks in the Kennebunks and Arundel from within the community. What began under the umbrella of Kennebunk’s Rotary Club quickly grew into its own nonprofit.
“We’re the crack fillers,” says Corey, who serves as the organization’s treasurer. “We don’t have red tape. We can fill the voids for people who are hardworking, who are making it but not making it enough. We can help fill those needs on a short-term basis.”
CS3’s all-women board seeks to provide direct assistance that can help level the playing field, connecting folks with support such as gas, food, or gift cards. Working with partners in local schools, they’ve helped teens get dresses for prom and outfit their dorm rooms for college. Through their partnership with Kennebunk Outfitters, they hosted a local “winter room.” Kids who needed help staying warm through a bitter Maine winter could find boots, pants, gloves, and other essential gear.
“We live in an affluent area, so sometimes the discrepancy is greater,” Corey says. “No child should feel less than because they couldn’t get a new outfit for school. That’s where we come in to help.”
The mother-daughter team carries this ethos of community care into their work at Pack Maynard as well. A few examples that they have supported in the community include the senior center, Special Surfers, Circus Smirkus, and the annual Bush Golf Classic for Gary’s House, an organization that provides housing to people who have family at Mercy Hospital in Portland.
“We try to make it so that everybody’s really proud,” says Heidi. “Everybody, at some point in their life, needs a little bit of help. We want to make it easy and non-stigmatized.” ▪
Biddeford: Forged in Tradition
Maine Seaside Rentals supports generations of family memories.
“I always describe Biddeford as Rocky—they’re the ones fighting to prove their worth.”
Owner of Biddeford-based Maine Seaside Rentals, Dana Johnson possesses a wellspring of knowledge about southern Maine’s former mill city. Familiarity with the area’s every nook and cranny is a most essential asset come July—the company operates over 70 rentals across the region, and Dana’s cell phone rings at all hours of the day. The summer moves at high speed, and Dana relishes being part of the action.
“When we moved here, there were a lot of empty storefronts,” she says. “Now, it’s pretty much full. You can’t find parking. Friday evening is pretty busy. It’s just great.”
For those familiar with the region, Biddeford’s boom era is hardly a secret. Dana, a Bay State native who moved to the city 25 years ago, takes pride in all Biddeford and its environs have to offer. The winding roads by Granite Point make for a peaceful drive away from the activity downtown, while Biddeford Pool boasts “old school Maine charm.”
“You can look out at the ocean. You can walk. It’s safe, secluded,” she says. “And you have history and the architecture here with older homes that we rent out on Staples Street.”
From her years in the business, Dana sees that renting a home provides families with the opportunity to be in the middle of all of Biddeford’s myriad amenities and charms. “What we have is a more personalized experience,” she says. “You’ re getting somebody’s home.” Dana and her team collaborate with homeowners to update their properties and offer renters authentic Maine living with comfort.
“They work hard to make sure that their renters enjoy them, and we work hard to make sure that they get to understand what the area is,” Dana says. “As a renter, you’re getting to enjoy those fun Maine experiences and live like we do all the time.”
“I am constantly thinking about how grateful I am to live here, how I love my job, and that I get to help other families be a part of this cool area for a short time,” she adds. “We get to help create something that they will think about after they leave and then return the following summers to do again. Our company is very committed to this and being as attentive to the homeowner and the renter as we can be, and it shows.”
Renters appreciate Biddeford for the city’s unique charisma. Dana and her team work with a number of repeat and intergenerational renters.
“They just love the memories that they’re building every year with their families, and then they’re bringing back their grandkids and nieces and nephews,” she says. “It becomes this tradition, which I think is really special about our business. We aren’t like a lot of other rental businesses where you can just book online. We work with our homeowners and our renters to find a good match.”
Maine Seaside Rentals operates with a policy favoring repeat vacationers: if a family rents for a week, they’re guaranteed the first right of refusal the following year provided that the house is available. For Dana, the business model encourages people to forge deeper bonds with the community.
“Being able to create a memory on a vacation that you talk about or think about for a long time after you leave is what people really want and need, especially these days. Maine Seaside Rentals is able to help do this for all sorts of families,” she says.
In this same spirit, Dana enjoys every opportunity she has to partner with and promote local businesses. For every rental, her team curates a binder of insider tips: going for a walk at the bird sanctuary, which local hangouts and private beaches to explore, what time of day to visit the best surfing spots. Downtown, she points visitors to Biddeford Vintage Market for unique local gifts, Sacred Profane for a drink, Goldthwaite’s for a lobster dinner, and George’s for a classic Italian.
Supporting her is Maine Seaside Rental’s all-women team. The four women on her team oversee the cleaning staff and manage the company’s many properties throughout the high-velocity summer season.
“The number one thing that people have said to us is how responsive we are,” Dana says. “I’m the 24-hour business after call line. We’re there. We’re making sure it gets solved right away. You’re not going to be waiting around.”
“I’m proud of the fact that we’re a bunch of badass women making it. We’re very responsive to things—I don’t think you would necessarily get that with Airbnb. We’re on it.” ▪
Living in an Oil Painting: Ogunquit
A welcoming artistic community in southern Maine inspires beachcombers and painters all year.
Ali Goodwin knows southern Maine inside and out. After growing up in the Seacoast, she stayed local and, as Associate Broker at Haven Homes + Lifestyle at Keller Williams Coastal and Lakes & Mountains Realty, has been selling real estate for 11 years. Assessing the region, she sees one community ascend as a beautiful, funky, and creative hub: Ogunquit.
“In the summertime, thousands and thousands of people visit,” she says. “But in the wintertime, it’s a very tight group. The Front Porch and Maine Street are open, and it’s fun. Then in the summertime, it’s really fun.”
Ogunquit is known both for its gay community—Maine’s answer to Provincetown—and for being a family-friendly summer retreat. “The shops and restaurants in Ogunquit are indicative of that,” Ali says. “You can walk; dip into bars, restaurants, galleries, and the museum; grab an ice cream and walk Marginal Way to the beach for sunset.”
A day exploring Ogunquit packs in the scenic and culinary delights that distinguish Maine’s coast: provisions from the Village Food Market, relaxing on either Ogunquit or Footbridge Beach, an afternoon sail on the Silverlining, Greek food for dinner at Nikanos, exhibitions at Van Ward Gallery and Barn Gallery. Ali swears by the lobster roll at Footbridge, accompanied by their homemade ice cream sandwich. Other sweet treats, like blueberry pie and coffee cake, can be found at Bread and Roses Bakery. And for a beach town, Ogunquit stays lively past dark, from notorious libations at Barnacle Billy’s (try the rum punch) to Dueling Drag Divas at Maine Street, a gay bar and local establishment, to Jonathan’s, offering nightly live music and comedy performances all summer long.
“The Front Porch Piano Bar is iconic,” Ali adds. “In the summertime, the Ogunquit Playhouse performers go there to sing after their performances.” Known for bringing Broadway to Maine, the Ogunquit Playhouse has delighted patrons for over 75 years, with actors like Sally Struthers and Bette Davis (who was also a lifeguard at Ogunquit Beach in 1926) giving notable performances.
Ogunquit’s queer and artistic history go hand in hand. “It was an artist colony, and it was a safe place,” says Ali. “Back at the turn of the century, artists flocked from the cities to immerse themselves in the coastal community. Charles Woodbury, Gertrude Fiske, Walt Kuhn and so many more were able to come, practice their craft, write, paint, sculpt, teach, and have salons where their ideas and lifestyles were a shared experience.”
“I can’t even imagine how awesome that was,” she adds. “You have that as your baseline, and then you just layer on the fact that it is probably one of the most beautiful coastlines in southern Maine, with some of the most spectacular beaches.”
Still today, artists flock to Ogunquit to paint and dream. It’s not uncommon to find plein air painters at work. Ali has personally been inspired by the landscape and has exhibited her paintings and photography in local galleries.
The Ogunquit Museum of American Art (OMAA) sits a short drive from downtown along a stunning stretch of Narrow Cove. Ali says the museum takes “top billing” among the cultural institutions of Maine’s coast, and they bring world-renowned artists to town. Last summer, Anthony Cudahy’s Spinneret splashed the museum’s walls with bright and dramatic canvases. His bold paintings are a contemporary answer to the work of Ogunquit antecedents: in surreal color, queer people meld with the landscape and encounter both life and death in the natural world.
Ali and her team sponsor the annual garden party. In the same spirit of playfully honoring history, she cherishes the 1930s spirit the garden party evokes, welcoming attendees to don their jaunty hats, enjoy garden-themed cocktails provided by Tamworth Distilling, and dance in the garden to bands like Annie and the Fur Trappers.
The party caps OMAA’s “Art in Bloom” weekend, which features floral designers using art in the collection to create inspired, breathtaking arrangements that go on display for the weekend. This is a fundraiser for the museum’s exquisite gardens, and as much as it raises money to support the museum’s mission, it also encourages people to appreciate the beauty onsite, an objective that resonates with the core of Ogunquit as Ali sees it.
“Ogunquit has a little bit of everything for everyone,” Ali says. “If you’re an active outdoor person, there are several beaches from Ogunquit to York as well as hiking and biking trails all around nearby Mount Agamenticus— locally referred to as Mt. Aggie or Mt. A.” For those eager to get out on the water, fishing charters depart right out of Perkins Cove, which boasts charming shops and award-winning restaurants, like MC Perkins Cove. During a changing tide, Ali recommends grabbing a tube and floating down the Ogunquit River, which parallels the main beach. ▪
Embracing the Wild Side: Schoodic Peninsula
Kim Swan finds a new home for her love of animals at Swan Song Salt Water Farm.
When long-time broker Kim Swan purchased a 53-acre plot of land in Sullivan and opened Swan Song Saltwater Farm, a Toby Keith song provided her with somewhat of a mission statement: “A Little Less Talk and a Lot More Action.” “I get really bored with talk,” says Kim. “Let’s do something.”
This ethos has long presided over her work both with the Swan Agency, which celebrated 50 years this April, and as a community member in Bar Harbor. Kim serves on the steering committee for an affordable housing project through the YWCA. She aims to promote community-mindedness among homeowners as well. Sharing Our Success, one of the Swan Agency’s signature programs, helps invest funds back into community organizations. The agency commits a portion of every closing to one of 10 local nonprofits, and buyers and sellers can select from this list to have a donation made in their name.
“From the very beginning, it gets people moving here to start to know some of the nonprofits,” says Kim. “This community is so rich in volunteerism and people who care. People that come here want to get involved.”
For years, working in the family business has provided Kim with such an outlet for engagement. Growing up in Bar Harbor, she watched as her parents, Cary and June, built the Swan Agency. With her father Cary’s encouragement, she took real estate classes while studying at the University of Southern Maine so she could sell with him over the summers, and she received her real estate license in the mail on her 19th birthday.
“Getting the Swan Agency to 50 years was such a driving mission for me, especially for the last 10 years,” says Kim. “We did it, and I woke up the next morning, and it was just like, whoa.”
“I wanted to get it there for my dad, and I wanted to make him proud. Even though he’s not here, I think he’s still proud.”
At their anniversary celebration, they unveiled a new sign on their building dedicating the “Cary Swan Block” in her late father’s memory and presented Mount Desert Island Hospital with a $50,000 gift, all in the same spirit of action. Over the past two years, Kim lost her father and her beloved Yorkie, Ava. As she reflected and took stock of her connection to community, she began to see another life calling for her.
“Every animal lover and vegetarian’s dream is to have a farm where they can rescue animals,” says Kim. “The farm came to me as a real purpose.”
Kim fell in love with the plot of land in Sullivan, which boasts 3,500 feet along the water. In addition to her work in real estate, she had long owned several hotels throughout the state like Pomegranate Inn in Portland and The Lindsey Guest House in Rockland. She decided to sell her properties, apart from The Bayview Hotel in Bar Harbor, and commit to her dream of the farm.
“It was just this convergence of things I’m good at, like hospitality and real estate, and things I care about, like animal rescue, and getting the word out about vegetarian and vegan eating, and celebrating that,” Kim says.
In the farm, she sees immense educational value. With her background in hospitality, the farm can host weddings with a fully vegetarian menu and demonstrate to guests that a delicious meal does not require meat. When one of her vendors called about delivering a shipment of organic cow manure for use in the gardens, she asked them to pivot away from animal byproducts, recognizing an opportunity to teach them about kelp-based alternatives.
“We called the farm Swan Song both because of my name and because this is literally my swan song,” Kim says. “This is what my whole career and all of my passions have been headed for.”
“I’ve done everything I wanted to do in the hospitality world. I’m never going to own anything more wonderful than a 26-room boutique hotel on the ocean. I’ve hit the peak there, so this is it. The farm is a dream come true.”
Counting among the many reasons she loves the farm is the location on the quieter side of the Schoodic Peninsula. She sees that Sullivan, Gouldsboro, and Winter Harbor are uniquely gorgeous and quieter than neighboring Acadia.
“It’s a really special area, and I am blessed and honored to be a part of it,” Kim says. “I want to make sure that what I do there honors not only the area, but also what I believe is the mission for the rest of my life.” ▪
