Damon’s Beverage and Redemption will transform longtime Orono liquor store Burby and Bates into its sixth location in Maine.
Damon’s, a beer, liquor and wine store plus a center for recycling bottles and cans, took over ownership of the Orono store Monday, said Dave Makson, general manager at the Bangor location.
The store at 7 Oak St. in Orono is closed for renovations, he said. Makson hopes to reopen it as Damon’s on Oct. 13, though only the retail side of the business will operate there initially, with redemption services added later.
For Damon’s, the sale means its business, which began 40 years ago with its first store in Skowhegan, is growing in Maine, Makson said. The Orono location is a natural fit because of its history as a local liquor store, he said. Damon’s has locations in Augusta, Bangor, Skowhegan and Waterville.
“We hope to continue the [Burby and Bates] tradition that started here 30-something years ago,” Makson said, while also growing the footprint of Damon’s. “We want to provide the best selection, service and prices to people.”
Rising wages and other costs forced Damon’s to close three of its five bottle and can redemption centers in the past two years. Redemption services are “a bit of a losing proposition,” he said Monday, unless a business can do what it did in Bangor and Waterville, which is to introduce self-service options for customers.
Adding machines has allowed customers to handle aluminum and plastic on their own, while staff work with glass and large containers, he said. This model has kept two of its centers open, he said. Makson hopes to bring machines to Orono as well.
Burby and Bates owner Patrick Wheeler approached Damon’s owner Jeff Damon in recent months because he was getting ready to retire and wanted to hand the business off to the right people, Makson said. The owners of the two liquor stores have had a good relationship for years, he said.
In a Facebook post announcing the change in ownership, Damon’s thanked Wheeler for his work running a community institution and said it looks forward to taking on the historic location. This will allow Wheeler more time to spend with family, according to the post.
Damon’s hopes to retain the six full and part-time employees who worked for Wheeler, Makson said. That includes one man who worked there for more than two decades, he said.
Burby and Bates was in business for 26 years, according to its Better Business Bureau profile.
