Local family are new owners of Chebeague Island Inn

Editor's note: In an earlier version of this story, Working Waterfront incorrectly attributed quotes about how the inn is part of the fabric of the Chebeague Island to School Board Member Beverly Johnson. We apologize for the error.

The Chebeague Island Inn has new owners and news of the sale was announced on Facebook.

The inn's Facebook page did not reveal the identity of the buyers, as of mid-January. However, in a January 15 phone interview, Casey Prentice confirmed that his family has entered into a purchase agreement to buy the inn from Martha Dumont. Prentice, a real estate developer based in Yarmouth, and his mother, Gerri Prentice, will be the active partners and oversee the inn's day-to-day operations this summer.

"It's a done deal," Prentice said.

Prentice declined to divulge the sale price, saying his family plans to put out a press release shortly with details of the sale. The asking price for the inn was listed at $1.65 million on the Web site of the Quantum Hospitality Group. He also declined to outline his family's business plan for the inn, but said islanders and the inn's guests should expect something different.

"We've got a whole new game plan," Prentice said. "We're very excited."

The change in ownership is just one of many turns of events in the inn's recent history. Dumont bought the inn in 2003 and undertook a massive renovation that aesthetically restored it to its glory days. But Dumont abruptly shuttered the inn in 2006, and the inn remained closed for 2007.

Andy LeMaistre leased the inn from Dumont for the next two years, but told Working Waterfront that the business lost roughly $375,000 during that time, ("After leasing, Freeport entrepreneur look to buy Chebeague Island Inn," November 2009 issue).

LeMaistre hoped to buy the inn with the backing of others, and he put out word to the press that he was seeking capital for the venture, but that sale never materialized.

The inn is part of the fabric of the island, said David Hill, a Chebeague Island Selectman. Along with the Clam Shack, The Niblic and the Island Market, it is one of the venues where islanders can go out to eat, he said.  Also, many island businesses depend on the inn for revenue from weddings booked there.  And the inn's roof even holds the antenna that makes a high-speed internet signal possible for some 100 islanders, said Hill, who owns an internet provider business.

But the inn only is profitable if it can attract business from the mainland, be it summer guests, conferences or corporate retreats. It must be upscale enough for clientele from New York City and Boston, yet remain accessible to the island community.  That's a tricky balancing act, said Hill.

"It has to be all things to all people, and that's very difficult" Hill said.   

While the inn lost money the past two seasons, there were signs of hope in 2009, despite the dismal state of the economy. 2008 was a hard year for the inn because there were few advance bookings due to the inn's closure the year before. But LeMaistre noted a small uptick in bookings for the 2009 season, a possible sign that word was spreading about the inn again.

If the inn's Facebook page is any indication, that momentum should carry into the 2010 season. The inn's wall was filled with posts from well wishers looking forward to a great season and congratulating the new owners. One post from the inn said that rooms were already booked for the week of August 21^, and several people were inquiring about possible jobs in the inn's kitchen.

The Facebook announcement appears to be part of a public relations campaign to create "buzz" for the inn. Prentice's sister, Caitlin Prentice, who works in public relations, is in charge of publicity for the inn.

While it's nearly impossible to keep a secret on the island, apparently it's equally difficult to keep it in cyberspace. While one post from the inn promised a video introducing the identities of the new owners, a well wisher revealed the identity of at least one of the owners.

"Casey, this place looks wonderful! I wish you well on your new venture," wrote the well wisher.

Craig Idlebrook is a freelance writer who lives in Ellsworth.