by Eric W. Austin

On a busy morning at the old Farrington’s building, on Legion Memorial Drive, the first thing you notice is that it feels alive again.

That might sound like a small thing, but longtime South China residents know this isn’t just any address. Over the decades, the building has played more than one role in town life. For many years it was home to the Farrington’s clothing outlet – the kind of store that became part of the seasonal rhythm of the community, especially for anyone who remembers back-to-school shopping in the 1970s or ‘80s. Now, the space has entered a new chapter: fully renovated, reimagined, and once again built around something towns need more than ever – a place to gather.

The person behind that new chapter is Natasha Littlefield, who has a knack for doing what some of us only talk about: seeing a need, taking a breath, and jumping in with both feet.

Littlefield is the owner behind Nash’s Gym and Nash’s Cafe, two businesses now sharing the same footprint. A Maine native, Littlefield grew up in Somerville and later attended Erskine Academy, in South China, then spent about 15 years in Belfast before returning to the area. Alongside running the gym and café, she has an accounting degree from the University of Maine, has managed rental properties for years, and this fall she was elected to the town select board. She also has firsthand retail experience – owning a convenience store years ago – which helps explain why she’s happiest when she’s out front, talking with customers.

If it sounds like a lot, that’s because it is. But Littlefield has a simple way of looking at it: when something interesting comes along, she’s willing to say yes – at least once – and see where it leads.

“Pretty much I say yes to everything at least once,” she says – a simple rule she tries to live by – staying open to opportunities, and figuring things out one “yes” at a time.

That “yes” philosophy is woven through the story of the building itself. Littlefield didn’t start with a perfectly polished master plan and a neatly printed brochure. While some people hesitate in that moment, she started moving.

She bought the building earlier last year and set about implementing improvements. The renovation was not the kind you do with a coat of paint and a new sign. The work was substantial. The building needed major upgrades – “This space had no heat, no bathroom,” she says – along with electrical work and improvements that brought it up to modern requirements. It was an investment not only in her business, but in the idea that the building should remain useful to the town.

And once she committed to that idea, the next “yes” wasn’t far behind.

The café, which opened in late 2025, came from a simple belief: this end of town needed something welcoming – a place where people could grab breakfast or lunch, sit down, and see a familiar face behind the counter. In recent years, China has watched a couple of familiar gathering spots disappear – including the Green Bean coffee shop and the China Dine-ah, both of which closed in the last decade – and Littlefield hoped to help fill some of that gap with a warm, local place people could return to. Not a rushed in-and-out stop, but something that feels a little more like a neighborhood living room.

Littlefield is quick to point out that she’s not trying to compete with what already exists in the area. She’s trying to be complementary – offering another option, another reason for people to stay local, another place that adds to the small ecosystem of businesses that make the town feel like a community.

What makes the café feel personal, though, isn’t just the menu. It’s Littlefield herself. She likes being out front. She likes the conversations.

“I love to talk to people,” she says.

That attitude, more than any mission statement, explains why the place works. It isn’t trying to be trendy. It’s trying to be human.

And the gym side of the business carries that same practical, community-first approach – just with a modern twist.

Nash’s Gym opened in June 2023 and has continued to build a loyal membership. People appreciate having a gym close to home and available on their own schedule. The gym uses an app-based access model for members, allowing people to come and go conveniently while still maintaining accountability.

“It’s just an app on your phone that gets you in,” Littlefield explains. “I have cameras, and then the app tells me who’s in there.”

It’s the kind of system you might expect in a larger city, but it fits perfectly here: simple, efficient, and built around real life. Not everyone can get to the gym at the same time each day – and a rural town doesn’t always have the foot traffic to keep a staffed front desk going around the clock. Littlefield’s solution meets people where they are.

In fact, since the café opened, the businesses have started to boost each other. People come in for coffee, ask about the gym, and decide to try it. Littlefield says the gym has seen a noticeable jump in new members over the past few months – a sign that the “one building, many reasons to stop in” concept is doing what she hoped it would do.

The building itself has also become something of a small hub. In addition to the gym and café, visitors can also take advantage of other services offered right on site – including massage therapy and photography. Massage therapists Nicole Bond and Mary Kealey both see clients in the building, and photographer Mackenzi Dodge works out of the space. Rather than one single storefront, it’s becoming a little cluster of services under one roof.

And Littlefield isn’t finished.

She has also been experimenting with exercise classes, including yoga, but says attendance hasn’t caught on yet. She’s planning to give it through the end of February, and if interest doesn’t pick up, she’ll likely pivot and rethink how that studio space is used.

She’s already thinking ahead to what will make the café even more welcoming when the weather turns. She plans to add a new door onto an exterior patio and outdoor seating for spring and summer – another small shift that’s really about the same big goal: making the building a space for community.

In the end, that’s the story here. Not just a new café. Not just a gym. But a familiar building with a long history in town life, now given a new purpose by someone willing to take initiative, do the hard work, and show up where people can see her.

For all the hats she wears, Littlefield’s favorite role might still be the simplest one – the person behind the counter, greeting neighbors.

“If I could just be a cashier,” she says, “that is what I would do.”

Nash’s Cafe & Nash’s Gym

9 Legion Memorial Dr.,
South China, ME

Nash’s Cafe hours

• Tuesday – Friday: 7 a.m.–3 p.m.
• Saturday: 8 a.m. – 2 p.m.
• Sunday: 8 a.m. – 1 p.m.
• Monday: Closed

Nash’s Gym hours

• 24/7 member access (app entry)

Also in the building:

Massage therapy

• Nicole Bond — 207-649-4863
• Mary Kealey — 727-385-7547

Photography

• Mackenzi Dodge — 207-399-2865

Find them online: Social media under “Nash’s Cafe” and “Nash’s Gym”.