Yoga/Fitness/vegan retreat in Maine (Portland, Bangor: real estate, lawyers, theater)

[Phorlan]

Hello,

If you were going to build on a land, or use an already existing building to set up a retreat where people would come to practice yoga, learn about nutrition and you'd want to be not too far from the water, doesn't have to be on the shore, but a few minutes from the water, in a pleasant environment, and also not to far from a little town with cafes, maybe a theater and a library, where would you build it in Maine?
I don't want some very remote location far from everything in the middle of the bugs.
So I guess, this is a question for the natives?
Thanks for all your input.

[mainebrokerman]

most of the fruits and nuts are in southern maine,,,but land is much more expensive..


far away from everything????

north of bangor... many small towns,,,,


my neighbor, before he died of a heart attack, was looking to build some eco- camps, in northern maine, ,,,off the grid,
nature walks, he wanted massage therapy and chanting....
he put some advertisements in different papers,,,,,and he got some responses,, from what he called some fruits & nuts

the folks that responded said they wanted to "live off the land" even if that meant shooting something, or had some deer/moose meat,,,they wanted an "indigenous" experience

[Phorlan]

Well, I think I know what kind of people you're talking about. That's not the crowd I want to target. I live in DC, I'm already involved in Yoga, fitness, running and nutrition. I'm just trying to have a vacation camp where professionals, lawyers, nurses, etc will come for a week to learn how to run faster, if they are runner, how to squat heavier if they are into power lifting and yes, they'll have access to yoga and nutrition classes. But I will not cater to the crowd you talk about.
Taking care of his body in a different environment, Maine, instead of DC or NYC can be very appealing to people who are NOT fruits and nuts. I think you do not understand that kind of market. Now if the people who go to Canyon Ranch at 4000 bucks a week, double occupancy are fruits and nuts, well, sure, I'll talk to them.
I think your answer was a little...off...to be polite! But thanks, anyway!

[mainebrokerman]

Originally Posted by Phorlan

Well, I think I know what kind of people you're talking about. That's not the crowd I want to target. I live in DC, I'm already involved in Yoga, fitness, running and nutrition. I'm just trying to have a vacation camp where professionals, lawyers, nurses, etc will come for a week to learn how to run faster, if they are runner, how to squat heavier if they are into power lifting and yes, they'll have access to yoga and nutrition classes. But I will not cater to the crowd you talk about.
Taking care of his body in a different environment, Maine, instead of DC or NYC can be very appealing to people who are NOT fruits and nuts. I think you do not understand that kind of market. Now if the people who go to Canyon Ranch at 4000 bucks a week, double occupancy are fruits and nuts, well, sure, I'll talk to them.
I think your answer was a little...off...to be polite! But thanks, anyway!

most of maine is rural, i'd recommend rangeley area, or greenville area, also the bethel area
nice areas with large lakes/mountains around

if you really want remote, the outskirts of ashland/patten/island falls/princeton or even up in aroostook county, there's an airport up there!!

[slyfox2]

You're going to have to be a little more specific. A yoga center is going to require the coastal areas.

[bangorme]

Originally Posted by Phorlan

Hello,

If you were going to build on a land, or use an already existing building to set up a retreat where people would come to practice yoga, learn about nutrition and you'd want to be not too far from the water, doesn't have to be on the shore, but a few minutes from the water, in a pleasant environment, and also not to far from a little town with cafes, maybe a theater and a library, where would you build it in Maine?
I don't want some very remote location far from everything in the middle of the bugs.
So I guess, this is a question for the natives?
Thanks for all your input.

I would look at Belfast north if you are thinking coastal. Inland, I say draw a line to the Canadian border from Augusta, then draw a line from Augusta to Bangor, then draw a line from Bangor to Calais. Anything north of that line. Just remember that the only two decent airports in Maine are in Portland and Bangor.

[Phorlan]

Bangorme, you are correct, I've just checked Belfast on a google image search, it looks very nice. Now I just have to go a little deeper, check the real estate, and go there.

[Cavacava]

Yeo, Belfast makes sense or how about Port Clyde? Rockland, Camden, all these places are fine...it is really about the retreat itself that makes the difference. I went on a 4 day retreat to Shoshoni in the mountains of Colorado last Summer. The retreat is about as far away as you can get, but great view of the mountains, good food, freedom to attend or not attend, nice people, all these make a big difference.

[Submariner]

The Belfast community fits closely to what you are describing, however you said that you are marketing this for a DC/MD crowd. So you really would not want it located in a yoga-ish community. [I am trying to not be insulting, but I can't think of a better phrase there]

I live near Orono, and they have a growing yoga sub-culture. A yoga retreat near Orono would draw on that population. But that would not help your goal of marketing to the DC crowd.

My SIL lives in DC, she has friends who bought a parcel of land near Blue Hill. They formed a group and now 20 families are all joint-owners, they have 10+ cabins on the land. All of them live in DC, and travel to Blue Hill for vacations and holidays. Dense forest is a nice setting to relax in. They seem to enjoy it very much

You also mentioned 'not far from the water'. May I remind you that Maine has many rivers, lakes and ponds. We may have over 3,000 miles of ocean frontage, though we also have much more fresh-water frontage.

Dense forest with freshwater frontage is 'a pleasant environment'. I know, I have 150 acres of forest with 1/4 mile of river frontage. It is a very 'pleasant environment'.

I think that in the Northern 2/3's of Maine there are scores of little towns with cafes and libraries, where you could build just outside of town.



Welcome to Maine

[Newdaawn]

You may want to check out a place in Orland called Alamoosic Lodge (sp?) which has this type of program - I think on a smaller scale than you plan. Orland is just outside of Bucksport and I believe this place is on a lake.