Local hospitality owner expands downtown Bar Harbor holdings with multi-million dollar purchase of three downtown properties.
Jan 07, 2026
The Bar Harbor Story is generously sponsored by the Maine Seacoast Mission.
BAR HARBOR—CherrySTONES Restaurant, long anchored at the corner of Main and Mount Desert streets in downtown Bar Harbor, and two other nearby buildings have been sold to local businessman Stephen Coston, owner of Stay Bar Harbor.
“Nothing about the property is changing,” Coston said, Tuesday. “The CherrySTONES space is already leased out on a long-term basis and the tenant is going to open a new restaurant.”
Coston said the CherrySTONES’ transaction also included the parking lot behind the restaurant and the building where Lunch is located.
“I already owned the building where Salsa Verde is located,” Coston said of another adjacent Main Street restaurant. “All four of these properties were owned by one owner for a number of years before I bought them. The prior owner’s existing tenants are all returning, and in the case of CherrySTONES and the one little vacant retail space I have already leased those spaces to new tenants on a long-term basis.”
According to associate broker Erica Brooks (Swan Agency/Portside Real Estate Group), “I was happy to represent the sale, which has been in the works for almost three years now.”
There were three different properties involved in the sale, Brooks said. The first is 185 Main Street, CherrySTONES, which was listed for $3,575,000. Built in 1880, the property has a basement prep kitchen, upper-level living quarters for employees as well as a bar, two on-site parking spaces and a restaurant.
The second property is 3 Pineo Court, which had a list price of $575,000, and is a six-bedroom house with a one-bedroom apartment, which has been used for staff quarters.
The third is 8 Mount Desert Street, which is a mixed-use commercial building across from the Village Green. It also has a three-bedroom apartment. It was listed for $1 million.
CherrySTONES began in 2012. According to owners Kristi and Jeremy Bond of FishMaine it began “with a dream of reviving the corner and making it a spot to gather, eat, celebrate and have fun. We have renovated and renovated again, we have had babies here; some of them hosted happy hour with us.”
It’s a place, the Bonds said, where their kids have grown up.
“And so have we,” they wrote on a social media post. “Fourth of July, lightning strikes, power outages, trucks cleaning out the deck posts, so many tow trucks and car accidents, bike accidents, so many crosswalk accidents! Too many political and legal battles fighting for our industry and ourselves. Pandemics and masks and being closed down wondering if we would survive?!
“But we did! For 13 seasons we were so proud to bring you the best staff in Bar Harbor serving fresh seafood and creative food and drink. Thanks to all of our amazing customers over the years and to all of our top notch staff. We wouldn’t have gotten here without all of you.”
The Bonds own the FishMaine Restaurant Group, which includes Bar Harbor Beer Works and The Fish House Grill. According to the FishMaine website, Jeremy’s father, James, opened the Fish House Grill in the 1980s. Jeremy and Kristi both worked in restaurants and met when Kristi was a therapist and Jeremy was one of her patients.
Stay Bar Harbor’s properties include, Inn On Mount Desert,The Primrose, Hearthside Inn, Sand Bar Cottage, Bass Cottage & Ullikana, Bar Harbor Manor, Little Fig Hotel, Cleftstone Inn, The Pathmaker Hotel, Anchorage Motel, Main Street Motel, and the Seasider Motel.
Unless otherwise specified, photos Shaun Farrar/Bar Harbor Story.
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