Comfort Found Literary Lodging
Damariscotta, Maine
A literary experience
in overnight lodging
A year-round, fully furnished, two bedroom, one bath, top floor apartment in a historic downtown New England village.
The first time I saw the downtown of Damariscotta, Maine, I felt as though I had come home. The small village of old sea captain’s houses, the perfect New England churches and steeples, and mid 19th century brick buildings huddled near the river touched my heart.
One building in particular stayed in my mind. For years, 112 Main Street was the apothecary shop for the town. Downstairs, a typical tin-ceilinged store, flanked with innumerable shelves and drawers, served the needs of the small community. Upstairs, the family of the pharmacist lived in lovely rooms with maple floors, high ceilings, and views of both the river, marina, and back bay.
Years later, the pharmacy was taken over by a country store and the top two floors were turned into apartments. Shops came and shops went, and in 1988 a woman moved into the second floor apartment (it even has a fireplace, built in book cases, corner cupboards, a butler’s pantry), and she is still there.
When the chance came to purchase the apothecary building in 2006, Jeff and I wandered through the rooms, explored the big, old basement, tramped up the stairs to Apartment #1, then up the final 20 stairs to the top floor, my favorite. It felt like a Paris (don’t laugh) apartment. Maybe it was the 33 steps, but I loved the high ceiling in the stairwell, the moldings, the funky 30's kitchen, the living room, and the two bedrooms.
“I want to remodel this someday and live here part time, or maybe rent it as a BNB (which translates to bed NO breakfast). What an experience to live right in the heart of a historic New England village," I said.
Jeff and I had often talked about buying a small hotel that we wanted to design and outfit with comfortable furniture and beds, antiques, art, and lots of wonderful books. When our first guests checked into Comfort Found, they said, "This is a HOME," which was exactly how we wanted them to feel.
When Jeff asked me what we should call it, I thought of the book Comfort Found in Good Old Books by George Hamlin Fitch. Written in 1911 by a gentleman who was the book reviewer for the San Francisco Chronicle. Fitch’s book highlighted the most beloved of the books he turned to for comfort. He believed, as do I, that cultivating a love of reading is one of the best gifts you can give yourself. Books bring the world to your easy chair; they give you wings; and they are ever faithful friends whether you need inspiration, edification, or consolation. Fitch believed in the verity of the old quote by Thomas Carlyle, “My books are friends that never fail me.”
Jeff and I would like to invite you to experience the real taste of New England in the warm and welcoming rooms of our dear "Comfort Found." I think you'll feel, as did our guests, that you've stepped into a well-loved home.
Thee is welcome here friend,
Sharon and Jeff
Comfort Found-Literary Lodging was created by the award winning author and illustrator Sharon Lovejoy and her husband, Jeff Prostovich, a real estate broker.
Write us at info@comfortfound.com or call 805-441-3777 cell. link
The first time I saw the downtown of Damariscotta, Maine, I felt as though I had come home. The small village of old sea captain’s houses, the perfect New England churches and steeples, and mid 19th century brick buildings huddled near the river touched my heart.
One building in particular stayed in my mind. For years, 112 Main Street was the apothecary shop for the town. Downstairs, a typical tin-ceilinged store, flanked with innumerable shelves and drawers, served the needs of the small community. Upstairs, the family of the pharmacist lived in lovely rooms with maple floors, high ceilings, and views of both the river, marina, and back bay.
Years later, the pharmacy was taken over by a country store and the top two floors were turned into apartments. Shops came and shops went, and in 1988 a woman moved into the second floor apartment (it even has a fireplace, built in book cases, corner cupboards, a butler’s pantry), and she is still there.
When the chance came to purchase the apothecary building in 2006, Jeff and I wandered through the rooms, explored the big, old basement, tramped up the stairs to Apartment #1, then up the final 20 stairs to the top floor, my favorite. It felt like a Paris (don’t laugh) apartment. Maybe it was the 33 steps, but I loved the high ceiling in the stairwell, the moldings, the funky 30's kitchen, the living room, and the two bedrooms.
“I want to remodel this someday and live here part time, or maybe rent it as a BNB (which translates to bed NO breakfast). What an experience to live right in the heart of a historic New England village," I said.
Jeff and I had often talked about buying a small hotel that we wanted to design and outfit with comfortable furniture and beds, antiques, art, and lots of wonderful books. When our first guests checked into Comfort Found, they said, "This is a HOME," which was exactly how we wanted them to feel.
When Jeff asked me what we should call it, I thought of the book Comfort Found in Good Old Books by George Hamlin Fitch. Written in 1911 by a gentleman who was the book reviewer for the San Francisco Chronicle. Fitch’s book highlighted the most beloved of the books he turned to for comfort. He believed, as do I, that cultivating a love of reading is one of the best gifts you can give yourself. Books bring the world to your easy chair; they give you wings; and they are ever faithful friends whether you need inspiration, edification, or consolation. Fitch believed in the verity of the old quote by Thomas Carlyle, “My books are friends that never fail me.”
Jeff and I would like to invite you to experience the real taste of New England in the warm and welcoming rooms of our dear "Comfort Found." I think you'll feel, as did our guests, that you've stepped into a well-loved home.
Thee is welcome here friend,
Sharon and Jeff
Comfort Found-Literary Lodging was created by the award winning author and illustrator Sharon Lovejoy and her husband, Jeff Prostovich, a trying-to-retire real estate broker.
ABOUT