Use this search box to find articles that have run in our newspapers over the last several years.
Date: 7/29/2022
HOLLAND – Holland’s Maine Attraction is celebrating their 10-year anniversary this year. Owner Jim Gagne opened the restaurant in 2013 after moving to the area from Maine.
Gagne is from Old Orchard Beach and has been in the restaurant business since 1988. When in Maine, he worked at many beach-side restaurants serving breakfast, burgers, fries, sandwiches, seafood and more.
During one trip to Western Massachusetts, Gagne saw the building for sale in Holland and decided to jump on the new opportunity.
“Next thing you know I was buying the place,” he said.
Since the opening of Holland’s Maine Attraction, it has become a local seafood staple in town. They serve a variety of items such as scallops, clams, haddock, lobster rolls, seafood chowder, clam chowder, corn chowder, burgers, chicken sandwiches, salads and more.
Holland’s Maine Attraction also serves Gifford’s Ice Cream.
Gagne said that his most popular offering is whole belly clams.
“Fried clams are probably my number one thing, and my lobster rolls sell really good. The haddock sells good and the scallops too, people love those,” he said.
Holland’s Maine Attraction is open from the beginning of April through the end of October. Their business hours are Wednesday through Sunday from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.
When asked if he would ever keep the business open year-round, Gagne said it is a definite possibility.
“I bounce that idea around. I’ve got my son coming down next year and it’s very possible that next year I may go year-round,” he said. “I’d probably change up the menu for the winter and do more of pizzas, subs, more toward that stuff which is what people want during the winter.”
Due to high prices and being short-staffed, Gagne said that he doesn’t have anything special planned to celebrate the restaurant’s 10-year anniversary yet.
“I may after the last flea market and do something for the last six weeks of the season for a local appreciation type thing, but I’m so busy and we’re shorthanded and I barely have time to do the stuff I have to do on a daily basis, so it’s hard to do different things,” he said.
Over the years, he said that he has received tremendous community support and continues to do so.
“I get people from all over the place. I’ve got people who drive a couple of hours,” said Gagne.
According to Gagne, he has a regular who lives over two hours away and comes to the restaurant every Sunday. Often, he will bring friends with him and they will make a day out of eating the food, ice cream and enjoying the lake across the street.
“Quite a few people do that. With the lake across the street right there, people like to come out and they’ll hang out for a few hours. It’s pretty quiet there,” said Gagne.
Gagne said he values all of his customers and tries to create the best experience possible for them during their time at Holland’s Maine Attraction.
“We’re super polite with everybody. We basically do anything we can to make their experience at our place as good as possible,” he said.
Gagne said that his favorite part of owning the business has been building it up from scratch and watching it grow.
“I own the property, I own the building, it’s all mine… so I was pretty determined to turn it into something good. I always use good, fresh food and I’m the head guy in the kitchen. I’ve always made the food the way I wanted and the way I would eat it… Anything on my menu over the years, I would eat. Because if I don’t like it, there’s a good chance that you won’t like it either,” he said.
Gagne is looking forward to the next 10 years, and then many more to come.