We'd like you to know who we are...
Shain's is a family-owned and operated business run with the assistance of many "adopted family" employees. We began over 60 years ago, gradually growing to our current state. This is how it went:
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My father, Rodney, a former teacher and coach, always raised a summer garden where we lived. My siblings and I helped him when we were old enough, and my mother, Barbara, a registered nurse, worked at local hospitals
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In 1965, we moved to Sanford and bought our farm. Now my father, Rod, could plant a "garden." As you might expect, sometimes there were more than we could use, and local folks often inquired whether the veggies were for sale. Thus, my father's first vegetable stand was born in 1967: A card table at the end of the driveway. The next year, we helped him build a small building and put the card table inside it.
After a few years of growth on Grammar Road, in 1972, my parents leased an existing vegetable stand on Route 109 in South Sanford. The following year, they purchased and relocated the leased stand to the present location, expanding the building in 1973. As demand for the family's fresh vegetables grew, so did my siblings' and my enrollment in elementary school, junior high, high school, and college.
In 1980, my parents and I took an opportunity to expand into the ice cream business at another location in Sanford. We leased the building and the equipment for four summers, and during that time, we rented a small shop on Main Street in South Sanford where we sold our homemade ice cream. At Main Street, light lunches and "penny candy" were added while, in the meantime, both my mother and father retired from their respective jobs.
In 1984, we were able to consolidate our three locations to where we are now, transforming our light lunches, fresh vegetables, and ice cream into Shain's Family Restaurant.
We built a comfortable building that would lend itself to casual dining and friendliness, a family place. Like at home, when we have large groups, we pull tables together. Like our home-grown vegetables and premium ice cream, our food is prepared in the homemade tradition with quality and value to the customer as our goal.
As with our food, we produce top-quality ice cream for ourselves and many other fine restaurants and ice cream establishments. With myself, Jeff Shain, at the head of the ice cream establishment, we are continuing to grow, allowing more and more people the opportunity to enjoy our premium ice cream.
My mother, Barbara Shain, sadly passed away in 2002. We were forced to close the restaurant because she was the head of it. We tried our best in 2011 to reopen the restaurant, and had success for many years, but ultimately had to permanently shut it down.
My father, on the other hand, passed away in 2019, right before COVID tragically struck us all. They were both role models for me, and the staff here at Shain's Of Maine will carry on their legacy to serve great quality food and ice cream with the value of our customers in mind.
The response from our customers to these efforts has been gratifying, and we've gained new friends while keeping the old ones. We sincerely appreciate your patronage and comments, and hope you'll let us know how we can enrich your visit with us and continue our friendship.
