The Harbor Gawker is a well-loved, seasonal restaurant located on the island of Vinalhaven, Maine. Up until a few weeks ago, it was owned by the same family for over 40 years. We are now busy renovating, making the big  push to open our restaurant in Spring 2018.

There are two major projects happening at the moment. The biggest is converting the raw space in the attic above the restaurant into a loft where we will reside. For this, we’ve enlisted the help of a contractor, and we feel like we are in very good hands, in spite of some seriously strange challenges.

The second project is the restaurant’s dining room, restrooms, and kitchen. Our vision for the look and feel of the place is quite different than what you’ll see in the photos below. The space, once cleared of all its original decor, needs a lot of TLC. Brian and I plan to do most of that work ourselves. Now that we’ve been displaced from Puerto Rico, we’ll be spending the entire winter here working on our new business.

Looking at these photos, which I took the day my mom and I visited with the real estate broker, my heart begins to race. There’s so much to do and so little time, but isn’t that always the case?

My mom watching the water rushing out of Carver’s Pond and under the bridge, back to the Harbor and out to sea. Our restaurant sits on the pond side of the bridge, from which people gawk at the harbor.

I’m pretty excited about this ice cream window situation!

Many have fond memories of the Harbor Gawker’s unique collection of decor

The rear dining room, which faces out onto the water, is my favorite part of the restaurant

Ladies toilet

Entrance to the restaurant with stairs to the attic where we will soon live