Crown of Maine Taxidermy 

“Artistically preserving your trophy”

Owner: Cody Gould

November is a month chosen to recognize small businesses across the country. Shopping local is so important to our economy. We need to bring jobs back to the small towns many of us live in. I have decided to start featuring small business in the Greater Houlton area on my page. It is important to stay active in learning more about the local businesses around you. This week I decided to feature Crown of Maine Taxidermy.

Cody Gould grew up in Hodgdon, Maine and attended Greater Houlton Christian Academy through grade school. He loved spending his childhood outdoors, taking in all that nature had to offer. Cody loved hunting and fishing. He began dabbling in the arts, experimenting with animal skins and hides. He always had a creative side. Cody gravitated towards anything having to do with working with his hands and seeing wildlife. Once he graduated from high school, he headed off to the Pennsylvania Institute of Taxidermy in Edinburg, Pennsylvania. He completed a seven month program for taxidermy and received his taxidermy license at the school. 

After receiving his license, Cody decided to come back to the Greater Houlton area and start his taxidermy business. Crown of Maine Taxidermy is currently located in Hodgdon. He strongly felt that the area was in need of a local taxidermist to assist the growing hunting demographic. He has received a lot of positive feedback from residents in the area and surrounding towns. 

“Everyone has been so positive!”

Starting out as a young person in the world of business can be challenging. Cody may be a young business owner, but his skills and talents outweigh taxidermists who have been at it for years. His customer base has stretched from North Carolina to New Brunswick. Even though Cody gives top of the line work, he continues to focus on pushing himself to be better in all aspects of his business. 

"Knowing myself, my abilities, and my goals has helped place me where I am today. I never stop pushing myself to be better. I don't ever want to be satisfied with where I am."

Cody is talented. His shop clearly displays his skills and creativity. Many people call him just looking for a price.  I would encourage anyone to stop by his shop on the Calais Road. It is important to Cody that potential customers see the heightened quality of his finished work. Not every taxidermist is going to deliver the final product the same way, but a person often gets what they pay for. He wants to educate the consumer on what real animals should look like and how the look should be reflected in the final product. Anyone can throw a skin on a form. It takes artistic ability and talent to give the finished products personality and personalization.

Cody dreams of moving into a newer and more efficient building space in the area. He loves the area and hopes to continue to get his name out to outdoor lovers everywhere. He hopes to hire someone to work alongside of him someday. Having another member of Cody’s team would be helpful in accomplishing some of the prep work, fitting, sculpting, and reference studying,

Cody has a piece of advice he wants to offer the young person thinking about starting a small business.   

“If you have a passion for something, don’t let people doubt you. There will always be doubters in anything that you do. Being young allows you to go for it. Whether it’s through success or rejection, you can learn a lot of important life lessons. I am so glad I pursued my passion over an average job.”

It was so exciting to see Cody’s passion for his job. I really enjoyed getting to know the heart behind his business. He truly loves what he does and give his all to each customer who comes through his door. I can’t wait to see how the Greater Houlton area supports this young business and all it has to offer.