Window Panes in Bar Harbor

Nov 25

When Julie and Greg Veilleux packed up their station wagon in Massachusetts in 1994, they were not entirely sure what would come next. They had their five-year-old, a bunny in the backseat, and a U-Haul of belongings. “We had a little nest egg of money,” Julie says. “And we just spun that money and made it work.”

Greg had grown up in the Bangor area, and the move back to Maine felt like a return to something familiar. The couple had first met in Bar Harbor in their twenties while working summer retail jobs. “We loved it here,” Julie says. “We thought, if we could find a way to make a living in Bar Harbor, that would be the dream.”

The name came during a night of brainstorming. “We were flipping through the dictionary and saw the word window at the top of the page and panes just below it,” Julie says. “It felt bright and simple. And that was it.”

Inside Window Panes, the experience is both sensory and calm. Shoppers often comment on the scent before they notice the displays. Julie, who leads buying and merchandising, has a way of tying together pottery, candles, textiles, and kitchen tools so that nothing feels accidental. “You can come in ten times and see something new every visit,” she says.

The couple has also watched Bar Harbor change around them. “In the eighties, you did not open before the Fourth of July, and you were closed by Labor Day,” Greg says. “Now people are here through the holidays. For a business like ours, that has made all the difference.”

What has stayed constant is their connection to the community. “We are here to support our town,” Greg says. “Our name is on the back of the kids’ soccer jerseys. That is what matters.”

After thirty-one years, Window Panes remains rooted in the values that carried it through the early days: consistency, care, and a desire to give back. “If people support us, we can support the community,” Julie says. “It feels good to make that circle complete.”

FAMOUS FOR:
Visitors often remark on how good the store smells, how inviting it feels, and how thoughtfully everything is displayed. Julie’s eye for curation and design means there’s always something new to discover, from Maine-made pottery to textiles, candles, and kitchen tools.

ADDRESS:
166 Main St in Bar Harbor, ME

WEBSITE:
windowpanesmdi.com