Window Panes Turns 30 This Month; Owners Celebrate by Giving Back
Shore Path Restoration Fund to Benefit
BAR HARBOR—Icons aren’t made overnight. This year, Bar Harbor’s Shore Path is 143 years old. Also, this year, June 20 to be exact, Greg and Julie Veilleux’s Window Panes Home and Garden celebrates 30 years of business in downtown Bar Harbor.
While vastly different, both of these entities are prime examples of community building and the struggles of longevity and success. The Shore Path was created by visionaries and the desire of shorefront residents to give back to their community and share a piece of Bar Harbor with others. Window Panes was also created by visionaries who have a desire to share Bar Harbor with others and give back to their community.
“The Veilleuxes definitely epitomize what ‘the fabric of the community’ means,” said Dickie Cough, president of the Bar Harbor Village Improvement Association. “They have constantly gone over and above the call of duty for the Town of Bar Harbor and its non-profits and somehow always find time to do more. They set the standard for doing good, doing it often and doing it quietly!”
The storms of January 10 and 13 ravaged the Shore Path in an unprecedented manner. Sea walls were knocked down, boulders and granite slabs were moved, and the path was eroded so badly that underground infrastructure was exposed in multiple locations.
Now rendered impassable, the Shore Path is shut down and needs to be repaired before it can be fully enjoyed again. While the caretakers of the Shore Path, the Village Improvement Association (VIA), have made great progress toward their fundraising goals for Shore Path repairs, they have other projects to attend to as well. Recognizing this, the Veilleuxes want to celebrate Window Panes 30-year anniversary with a matching donation fundraiser in the hope that the Shore Path will be repaired and back in service for the 2025 season.
Greg and Julie opened their first Window Panes store at its current location on June 20, 1994.
Greg said, “When we first opened, people said, ‘There is no way that you are going to make it selling housewares and home furnishings. Who is going to be buying that?’ What we have found out is, one, there are 10,000 people who live on the island, all potential customers; 5,000 people, plus, who live in Bar Harbor, all potential customers, and then, you have all of the seasonal residents. And they all need garlic presses.”
In 1996 the couple opened a second but smaller Window Panes store in Ellsworth next to the Grand Theater. That store was only open for a year and a half because the business was not steady enough to support the additional burden and expense of having a second store 30 minutes away from home.
In 2001 they opened a furniture store where Brasserie LeBrun is currently. Then in 2002 they expanded to another location next to Choco-latte Cafe with a bath and body store. Both of those stores were in business for about five and a half years.
As with any successful business venture, there were trials and tribulations, years of profit and years of having to borrow money to survive. But in the end, good business modeling, perseverance, and fortitude have paid off and now the Veilleuxes would like to celebrate their success by matching any donations received during their fundraiser with a 100% match up to $15,000.
That success is because of community, they said.
Julie said, “I have always said to people: we get to choose, we are in the driver’s seat. We can choose wherever we want to live. And then we ask ourselves, why did we decide that we wanted to live in Bar Harbor? Was it because of the national park, the great school systems, being right on the ocean, the quaint downtown, a vibrant downtown? So, you have to do your part, you have to support what’s there.”
People are always coming into the store and Greg or Julie will see them doing price comparisons online.
“I saw a guy doing it one time with his wife and two younger kids for like a $10 item,” Greg said. “I asked him how much he would save by buying it online, and he puffed his chest out and said, ‘50 cents.’ I asked him if his kids play little league, softball, or any youth sports and he said, ‘Of course they do, they love it. This guy is a great little soccer player and my girl is a good t-ball player.’ Then I said, is Amazon’s name on the back of your jerseys? Because our kids in our community have our name on the back of their jerseys.”
The man’s wife promptly took the item and purchased it while the man walked out of the store.
“Without support of our local residents, our community members, we will not be here. It’s plain and simple,” Greg said.
“Greg and Julie have always kept their community front and center, which is the reason for their success,” said John Kelly, chair of the Bar Harbor Parks & Recreation Committee. “I’ve worked side by side with Greg for many years on the Parks & Recreation Committee, and he had always been thoughtful, fair, and creative in ways to improve our town parks.”
Jackie Davidson, the executive director of the YWCA MDI said, “Congratulations to Julie and Greg Veilleux on Window Panes' 30th anniversary! I'm not surprised they chose to support the Shore Path project to honor the occasion! They are such generous business owners, and YWCA MDI has benefited greatly from their donations of gifts to our annual Childrens Bazaar.”
So now, the Veilleuxes are asking for you to help them give a little bit more back to the community by supporting the VIA’s effort to repair an icon that is beloved to not only residents but visitors from all over the world.
Starting on June 20, you can help Greg and Julie with their efforts in three ways; you can give cash or check donations, you can donate online, or you can purchase commemorative and beautifully etched stemless wine or old fashion glasses at the store for $15 each. The Veilleuxes are purchasing these glasses out of pocket and 100% of that $15 will go towards the fundraiser.
Greg and Julie will match any donations received 100% with a maximum match of $15,000. The cost of the glassware does not count towards the maximum match, so in reality, they will personally be giving more than $15,000 if that goal is achieved.
For the first three days of the fundraiser, June 20–22, if you give a minimum of a $10 donation in the store, you will be entered into a raffle for a chance to win a $100 gift basket. There will be one gift basket given away for each of those first three days.
Being able to reach their goal of a $30,000 donation to the VIA is what the Veilleuxes hope to achieve, but if donations total more than that, then they will be ecstatic because they know that the VIA has other beautification and maintenance projects around town and the VIA, when creating its annual budget, was not planning on having to do Shore Path repairs this season.
Ways to donate:
Cash or checks made out to “Shore Path Fund – Bar Harbor VIA” can be placed in the donation jar that will be on the counter at Window Panes at 166 Main Street, Bar Harbor. Checks can also be mailed to that same address,
Or you can donate with a credit card on the VIA’s “Restore the Bar Harbor Shore Path” GoFundMe page here. If you donate via the GoFundMe page, you must state that your donation is for the Window Panes match in order for the matching donation to be made.
Links to learn more about the Shore Path and the damage incurred:
This story was updated to include a quote from John Kelly and Jackie Davidson.
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