When my grandmother, Margaret Hawkey, first opened The Smiling Cow in 1940, Camden, Maine was a little too far to drive for a weekend visit for most. Route 1 was slow going and so were the cars! Visitors to Maine came for the whole summer and stayed in summer cottages or on their boats. Back then we sold lots of items that people might need for entertaining along with books, postcards and many, many cans of "Maine Air', as well as toys and greeting cards.

Over the past seven decades we've seen our world shrink as roads improve and cars get faster and safer. Now, spending a few days in Maine is an easy vacation for people from all over, and we're delighted to know where you're from when you come into the store.

We are so excited to be opening for our 70th season, carrying on traditions begun so many years ago, like free coffee and tea on our back porch. For 70 years The Smiling Cow has been opening its doors to locals and visitors from all around the world. It gives us great pride to be carrying on this tradition with continuity from generation to generation. I'm proud to be a link in this line of family members who have been manning the helm for so many years, and I'm grateful for both all the new visitors each summer and to those of you who come back year after year.