Tiny Cabins Venture Expands in Whitefield

May 18, 2023 at 8:00 am Meira Bienstock

"Maybelle," one of the two cabins available at the new tiny cabin rental business in Whitefield, offers a quiet getaway on 100 acres of forest land. (Courtesy photo)

Jefferson residents Sherri Simmons and Joel Pitcher spent the past 11 months literally building their new business, Tiny Cabins of Maine.

The husband and wife team started off with one tiny cabin next to their Jefferson home built to host their five adult children when they visit. Simmons’ daughter, Savannah Simmons-Grover, was visiting from Utah for Christmas in 2020 when she encouraged them to advertise the cabin for rent on Airbnb.

Simmons and Pitcher did so in January 2021. Instantly, it booked and kept getting booked.

Simmons said they decided to find land to put the cabin somewhere else. That's when they purchased the land in Whitefield to house the business.

Tiny Cabins boasts two cabins, both located in the woods near Given's Pond, which offers fishing and human-powered boating opportunities. Nearby, a wooden target with small axes is available if renters wish to brush up on their axe-throwing skills during their stay.

"People come here to relax, enjoy the Maine outdoors, and to get away, and to indulge in whatever it is they want to do," Simmons said. "Whether it's reading a book in the hammock or take a kayak out or maybe do a little fishing, we want people to do be able to that and not feel they’re going to be sharing the space with somebody else."

Simmons and Pitcher, who married last year, said they were aiming for a camping vibe with more comfort and less of the work involved with camping in the forest. However, they do have a designated space for someone to pitch a tent in the woods, if someone wants a full-on camping experience. The tent site has an outhouse and fire pit nearby,

However, the spot will eventually be taken over by an elevated cabin, which will be placed on a tree, with stairs leading up into it, and lights underneath it. There will be a porch surrounding it.

Since the cabin can't attach to trees, they are putting it on stilts. They are hoping to have it up before snow falls at the end of the year. Simmons is building it with help from an engineer, Simmons said.

Both current tiny cabins have names and have a story behind the name. The oldest of the cabins is Roxie. Its location next to a massive rock inspired its name.

Inside Roxie, renters have written their names, initials, and dates on the wooden beams in marker, a tradition that was started on a beam in Simmons’ home, with names dating back to 1978.

Inside Roxie there is a Cubic Mini wood stove, and firewood available. A chalkboard on the wall folds down into a table. The room and bed are big enough for two. There is a composting toilet available.

The other cabin is called Maybelle. Simmons found it already built on Facebook Marketplace.

"Maybelle comes from ‘may pay the bills,’" she said.

Joel Pitcher and Sherri Simmons, owners of Tiny Cabins of Maine, stand in front of Given's Pond, excited for the future of their new Whitefield-based business. (Meira Bienstock photo)

Inside Maybelle, there is also a s’mores kit so people can cook s’mores over the fire pit outside. Essentials for camping are included.

Visitors from Boston and hikers on the way to Acadia have visited the cabins, but the couple has plans to involve veterans in their business, too.

Pitcher is an army veteran. Because speaking with other veterans has helped him so much, they created Rally Point Bravo, a separate nonprofit organization. Tiny Cabins will donate profits and land to it once it's up and running.

The idea is to bring in service members who have served together to Tiny Cabins. The space would give them the opportunity to unite. Pitcher said they could fish together, as Given's Pond is filled with bass, crappie, and yellow perch.

"The idea is that we would say, ‘Hey, let's make this experience available for veterans, free of charge to come and enjoy this.’ If there are veterans with disabilities, then we want to be able to accommodate that," said Pitcher. "The idea is to bring service members together. My heart needs to spend some time with the people that I served with."

The name Rally Point Bravo comes from military verbiage. The "rally point" comes from the concept that everyone has a pre-positioned rally point to meet.

Inside of the Whitefield tiny cabin, “Maybelle,” a telephone ladder originally used for a telephone switchboard is 1974, is now converted into a means to climb into the spacious loft. (Courtesy photo)

"It's a map symbol in military navigational terms," Pitcher said. "The term Bravo is about bringing members who served together at Tiny Cabins."

They are planning on having a memorial garden for the veterans, as well.

With Simmons as a math teacher at Great Salt Bay Community School, doing the carpentry for Tiny Cabins has come naturally to her. She built many of the wooden features within the cabins, and in addition, groomed the trails, and got them ready for the renters.

Both of them are originally from Wiscasset, and met in first grade. They reconnected in their adult life when Joel was renting a place near Simmons’ camp. They agreed to meet up.

Pitcher said, "I said, ‘I’ll be right over—"

"And he never left," Simmons said.

As they both leave the dock and walk the trails, they talk about what kind of experience they want people to have at Tiny Cabins. Simmons said two couples who are friends could book the two cabins and have the 100 acres with everything included for themselves. Then each couple could go back to their cabin, having their own space.

"We’re both very excited for what the future is going to bring with this piece of property and ideas," Pitcher said. "Not just for the people that are going to come, but for us to sort of grow at this stage in our lives…it's something we’re both very passionate about and enjoy and we want to share it with other people."

For more information, call 798-3132 or go to tinycabinsofmaine.com.

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