08/18/2026
by Victoria Ritter
Damariscotta, ME is home to resident artists, including renowned names such as Kathleen Galligan, Sally Caldwell Fisher and Jaap Eduard Helder. The artist population drastically increases in the summer months as people come to paint, draw and photograph sites across the Pemaquid Peninsula.
When the town’s only art supply store, which had operated since the late 1950s, closed its doors, Carol Jaeger wasn’t about to let her fellow artists go without materials. She emerged from her five-year retirement and opened Salt Bay Art Supply on October 22, 2001. For the past 25 years the store has become a trusted, welcoming space for all.
Out of retirement, into retail
Before opening Salt Bay Art Supply, Jaeger’s career included operating her own graphic design studio, teaching digital imaging and publishing at the Center for Creative Imaging in Camden as well as some retail experience. In retirement, she was able to focus on her interests including paper crafting and printmaking. “Someday I’m going to decide what I’m going to be when I grow up,” Jaeger joked.
Jaeger has dabbled in several mediums, spanning from collage work, card crafting, paper quilting and printmaking. Some of her pieces hang alongside professional artwork from other resident artists at the store.
Running her own business came with a couple stipulations. The first came from Jaeger’s husband whose condition was that the store had to pay its own way along with compensating his wife’s art collection. Jaeger also wanted the job to be a fun venture. A quarter of a century later, Salt Bay Art Supply is living up to its expectations.
“Our motto around here is, ‘If it’s not fun, we don’t do it anymore,'” Jaeger said. “So, we enjoy being here every day.”
But running the store hasn’t been without its challenges. During the first two years of operation, Jaeger worked by herself, keeping the doors open six days a week. It was a lot to take on, but she credits a sales rep who helped get Salt Bay Art Supply off the ground. “She is now my chosen sister,” Jaeger shared. “Even though she has retired, we still see a lot of each other because we just clicked immediately. Having a good sales rep is tremendously valuable in this business.”
A unique approach
The store has quietly evolved over the years to accommodate the needs of employees and customers alike. Looking at sales records, Jaeger realized that having the store open on Saturdays was a losing venture. Now it’s open 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday, along with Saturdays in December. “Especially in summertime, Saturday is the changeover day,” Jaeger reasoned. “People drive up on Saturday afternoon then leave the following Saturday morning.”
The store’s team expanded to include Bonnie Sablinsky who works part-time four days a week, and Jaeger works three days per week with some crossover.
In terms of inventory, Jaeger attends the SLS Arts every year to meet with vendors and occasionally goes to Creativation by NAMTA to keep tabs on new products, especially for kids. She also relies on customers’ requests. If someone asks for something that isn’t in stock, she’ll make a note. If a product receives enough inquiries, she’ll add it to the inventory.
“It led me down some interesting paths,” Jaeger said. “I’m extremely fortunate that I don’t have to make a living out of the store. That makes it so I can take some risks that a retailer might not be able to otherwise. And because of that, I can make a living out of the store.”
Jaeger closes the store for the first two weeks in January to conduct inventory. To keep track of the roughly 4,280 SKUs, Jaeger relies on a POS system she developed through FileMaker Pro. The program allows her to design her own sales receipts and inventory system, including an order trigger to alert Jaeger when something is low in stock. “I wanted to be able to track how many items I sold over a period of time, what needed to be ordered and who it’s coming from,” she said.
Salt Bay Art Supply has 1,100 square feet of space to work with, which includes a bathroom and kitchen. With no room for storage, all the store’s stock is out where customers can see it.
At the right of the store is a 12- by 12-foot u-shaped space dedicated to children’s materials. Jaeger consciously doesn’t carry any battery-powered products as a way to encourage little ones to work with their hands and eyes alongside older generations. This section is especially popular with grandparents. “All it takes is two rainy days and they all come in, looking for something to do with their grandchildren,” Jaeger said. “It’s tremendous fun.”
Looping around the store, there are sections dedicated to drawing, watercolor, oils, canvases, panels and acrylics. Brushes are stationed in the center, offering choices for oil, acrylic, watercolor and mixed media. Jaeger makes a point to stock local and American-made products.
Emerging trends that Jaeger has noticed include origami, oil pastels and block printing. Hands Craft puzzles are also popular, thanks in part to samples of finished projects around the store.
“We try to continually curate the collection of things that we have, because stuff comes and stuff goes,” Jaeger stated. “It’s really easy to fall into the fad trap.”
All are welcome here
Artists have always held a special place in Jaeger’s heart. She sees Salt Bay Art Supply as a resource and safe space for all people. “Artists see the world through a different prism. If they all saw the same things the same way, I don’t think they’d be artists,” Jaeger observed. “Those are my kind of people.”
The store publishes a newsletter about once a week, highlighting new products and upcoming classes and events. It further extends its community reach by providing a scholarship to a graduating high school senior each year.
A fun activity is monthly Art Nights, going from 4:30 p.m. on a Tuesday night until whenever people get tired for the night. Visitors can learn about how to read a tube of paint, discover watercolor techniques, try their hand at zentangle (meditative drawing) and paint rocks, among other pastimes.
Throughout the year, Jaeger collects product with the help of sales reps and holds a drawing around the holidays. Each item is assigned a number, and customers draw a number out of a bucket to win the corresponding product.
“It doesn’t have to be big things that make a connection,” Jaeger stated. “In fact, we have people who come in just to visit the cat.”
Running Salt Bay Art Supply has been a dream for Jaeger. She appreciates meeting people and connecting over a shared love of art. She’ll eventually hand over ownership to Sablinsky, but has no immediate plans to leave permanently. “It’s been 25 years of fun,” Jaeger said. “I know it’s an old saw, but when you do something you enjoy, you’ll never work a day in your life.”
