Brooklin shops reopening after virus closures

Town offers a variety of wares

- LESLIE LANDRIGAN

BROOKLIN—An afternoon of shopping and dinner is more than a distant memory in Brooklin as shops and restaurants are returning to life after months of COVID-19-induced closures.

And yes, Brooklin—with a year-round population of about 820—has a retail district where you can buy candy, gifts, art, handmade paper, clothing, books and food. Then you can order a pizza or groceries or fine dining.

“It’s a good little community for retail, food, everything,” said Anne Dentino, who owns Leaf & Anna at 12 Reach Road. “It’s a destination. People are driving to Brooklin. People from Bangor make a day of it and come on down.”

That all came to a halt when Gov. Janet Mills ordered shops and restaurants closed in mid-March. Dentino sat in her house in Sedgwick and said, “Oh my gosh, what am I going to do?” But she made a decision. “You can either roll up in a ball or figure things out,” she said.