BRUNSWICK

Michael Gilroy started Frontier Cafe 11 years ago in hopes of creating a cultural and storytelling hub in the former Cabot Textile Mill.

Gilroy, who goes by Gil, said the idea for Frontier was born long before the mill space was renovated. As a student studying in Russia, Gilroy parlayed his education and independent travel experience into leading cultural tours throughout Asia, Russia and the Middle East.

“Much of Frontier is an evolution of the work I used to do,” he said.

For Gilroy, the real joy in his work was cross-cultural facilitation, bringing cultures together and creating experiences.

“I knew when I settled down, I wanted to create a destination for people to come together and connect to the world. Fundamentally, it was the brainchild of Frontier. It’s taken a couple different forms, but the focus is storytelling,” he said.

Storytelling at Frontier Cafe and Cinema comes in all forms — live talks, music, art, film screenings and food.

Gilroy’s work that inspired the concept of Frontier started with an organized trip across the trans-Siberian railway, and later expanded to tours from Beijing through Mongolia, and eventually developing trips along old trade routes from East to West.

Many of the trips took small groups of people on month-long journeys across the silk road, from China into Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, and Kazakhstan. But that work ended in 2001, with a confluence of happenings that altered his path, namely the attacks of Sept. 11 and meeting his now-wife, Chelsy, who he met while she was leading a trip in Pakistan.

“Two things happened. One, it’s tiring work, you’re gone six months a year, and coupled with 9/11, everything changed,” Gilroy said.

He planned a trip to Iran in October of 2001, but it was canceled. Some of his former routes were becoming increasingly more difficult to travel through and more dangerous.

Gilroy and Chelsy moved to Maine in 2000, purely for the quality of life, he said, although Chelsy’s grandparents were from the state.

The couple chose Maine to settle in because, as Gilroy recalled, they came to stay on Penobscot Bay’s Matinicus Island on a quintessential autumn day in Maine. “It was October, there were no people, and the colors were beautiful. We fell in love with Maine as a place to settle,” he said.

In searching for the ideal location for what would become Frontier, from Portland to Bath, Gilroy said he caught a glimpse driving across the Frank J. Wood bridge of the Fort Andross building lit at night — empty, and maintaining the right kind of character. It was raw, had the right texture of brick and wood that can’t be reproduced, and tells a story in itself. He said he knew right away it was the place.

The business was built and Gilroy said he just hoped the community would follow.

In 2006, following two years of renovation work, Frontier opened with a focus on the theater because it is a great storytelling medium, Gilroy said. There was no restaurant or bar, which came several years later in an effort to revive the business following the economic collapse of 2008. There were several years of just holding on, Gilroy said, which pushed the discussion of shutting down — or doubling down.

They doubled down, as Gilroy said he is a risk taker by nature, and the gamble paid off. The space evolved to include a full bar and kitchen in 2012, so moviegoers could have a drink and something to eat after a show. The expansion allowed customers to spend more time in the space. Gilroy said as a traveler, food experiences were always the great binder.

“Going to the local market, buying from street vendors, and gathering along the river for a picnic were always the best meals,” he said.

The Frontier menu is designed with that in mind, with raw ingredients, meant to be shared.

“My real love is storytelling, which is done through food as well,” he said.

The success of the restaurant has spurred new growth. In about a month, additional renovation and expansion are set to be completed at Frontier. The expansion includes the renovation of a formerly empty space adjacent to the original Frontier cafe and cinema. The addition includes a new box office, a second event space area, a coffee bar, and a new entrance to the theater, so patrons will no longer walk through the dining area.

The new event space is more adaptable for larger events, such as lectures, private parties and events, wedding receptions, graduation parties, and the like, Gilroy said.

Gilroy said he is always planning for the future and said a new piece added to events offered includes storytelling inspired by the New York-based storytelling organization, The MOTH, called Soundbites, to bring energy and creativity to the space, and to the audience. The event invites MOTH grand slam champions each month from May to October to share their stories.

Local organizations are also invited to share films and speakers with the community, such as area land trusts, the Nature Conservancy, and the Maine Fishermen’s Association.

Gilroy said the success of the business is built on his core staff, which has grown from eight people to 50. “They are the reason we can push the envelope a bit,” he said.

He continues to work on developing programming and new events, food, music and art. “And having fun,” Gilroy added.

For more information about Frontier Cafe, visit explorefrontier.com.

jlaaka@timesrecord.com