ABOUT

North Woods Trading Post originally began as the Millinocket Lake Store in 1948, owned by the Woodworth family of Millinocket. The store was an outfitter of sorts, offering camp and hunting/fishing supplies as well as canoe rentals. The store was part of the Millinocket Lake Camps, situated next to the store. The Boynton family eventually purchased the store and the cabins/homestead next door. The Boynton family expanded the store to have a lunch counter and along with that, the sale of beer and wine. In 1981 the Bacons purchased the store from the Boyntons and expanded the store further to include souvenirs, books, and logo clothing. The outfitter portion of the store was scaled back at this point. The Bacons renamed the store the North Woods Trading Post and the name continues today. After 31 years, the Bacons decided to retire from operating the store and sold it to Tom and Sandy Bell in the spring of 2012.

With this transfer of ownership, the store would begin to again go through another metamorphosis of sorts as the Bells began to implement the many improvements the store needed to appropriately meet the needs of today’s customers. A camping, fishing, and hiking gear section has been added to the store, and the souvenirs brought in are unique, of high quality, and many times are local to the area, made in Maine or New England. The food offering has been revamped using fresh ingredients and an ever-changing array of options. Local artists are featured at the store offering photography, artwork, jewelry, and hand thrown pottery. The beer and wine selection is improved and greatly expanded with many craft beers and an excellent selection of wines. Spirits are now sold at the store as well.

In the fall of 2021, the store began another transformation with the underpinnings of the store completely renovated with a new foundation, beams, and increased structural integrity. This was done to prepare the store for the future expansion of adding additional floors, as the business has outgrown its current space. The kitchen was tripled in size to accommodate the 1500% increase in food sales and great deal of new equipment was purchased to accommodate the tremendous amount of food the store sells in five months. A dream of Tom and Sandys was to have a roof top bar and that became a reality in June of 2022. The Golden Road Yacht Club opened for the first time in June of 2022 and was a huge hit.

With all the changes that have taken place and are proposed, Tom and Sandy decided a marketing revamp was needed and hired the local team at Designlab to help them accomplish this goal.  After lots of discussion and soul searching it was decided the name North Woods Trading Post no longer was a fair representation of what the store had become and will grow to be. With the popularity of the Golden Road Yacht Club and plans for future growth and marina addition, the store needed a name that would represent where it is located with a nod to the local history of the area. It was with all that in mind we decided the name should become Golden Road Crossing. Designlab offered many options, but we all agreed it seemed to best fit the store and all it is about to become. After all, it is the only place the Golden Road and the Baxter State Park Road come together and Golden Road Crossing made a great deal of sense.

NORTH WOODS TRADING POST HAS BEEN THE CULMINATION OF TOM AND SANDY’S BACKGROUNDS, LOVE OF THE AREA, AND THE GREAT MAINE OUTDOORS. IT IS WITH THAT BELIEF IN THE AREA AND THE LOCATION OF THE BUSINESS THAT THE NAME WAS CHANGED TO GOLDEN ROAD CROSSING.