Commercial office and retail space in downtown Ellsworth is not easy to come by these days, but a few existing businesses and buildings are available to potential newcomers — for the right price.
As Ellsworth has been growing, demand among businesses seeking to have a presence downtown also has increased. There were many “for lease” signs in Main Street storefront windows in the late 2000s and early 2010s, but over the past several years Ellsworth’s downtown has seen an influx of many new stores, restaurants and other businesses.
Now, on the heels of that turnover — and with disruption of the Covid pandemic now in their rearview mirrors — the owners of several longtime downtown businesses have decided to sell.
Along with kitchen supply store Rooster Brother and seasonal restaurant Union River Lobster Pot, Coastal Interiors and The Dream Catcher antique store also are on the market.
“The timing and economy seem ideal,” said Janna Richards, the city’s economic development director. “Downtown in terms of retail space and office space is pretty much occupied.”
The list price for Coastal Interiors, which just last fall had a large mural painted on its south-facing wall, is $3.35 million, which includes both the business and the real estate. The Coastal Interiors property, nearly an acre in size, includes frontage on the Union River and has 7,000 square feet of floor space.
The Dream Catcher, in the former H.C. Austin furniture store, is for sale for $949,000, which also includes both the business and the building. The building, built after a massive 1993 fire destroyed much of Main Street, has nearly 10,000 square feet of finished floor space, according to city records.
Karen Sawyer, who owns Dream Catcher, said she also owns vacation rental properties in Ellsworth and, though she is 63 years old, she is not looking to retire just yet. She said she might open another antique store outside Ellsworth, but thinks now is a good time to sell Dream Catcher.
“I’m the longest running retail business on Main Street besides John Edwards,” Sawyer said, referring to the section between State and High streets on the east side of the Union River. “It’s been phenomenal in the summer. The last two summers have been amazing.”
Sawyer said she has gotten a few inquiries from prospective buyers, but most so far have said they would change the building into office space and rental apartments. She wants the building to remain a place where customers can come in and buy things.
“I want to keep it as an antique shop or some other retail,” she said. “I want it to attract people downtown.”
Richards said there is especially strong demand downtown for office space, with some second-floor offices having recently been converted to apartments. She said that though some conversion in types of use is normal, the key to downtown’s success is keeping a balance between retail, office space, housing and government services.
Having that balance will continue to attract and keep young adults and their children, which is crucial to the city’s continued growth, she said.
“We’ve got a pretty good mix right now,” she said. “I feel like the balance is coming back.”
Earlier this summer, longtime Main Street fixture Finn’s Irish Pub reopened under new ownership, after having been closed for nearly a year.
There are a couple unoccupied spaces downtown though, as of Tuesday, there was only one “for rent” sign posted, for second-floor offices at 93 Main St.
A former bakery space at 59 Franklin St. remains empty, with its former tenant, The Sweet Spot, about to reopen at 61 Main St.
The former Ellsworth American building on State Street, directly across from Coastal Interiors, has a new owner but remains vacant, with the weekly newspaper’s offices now located in its printing building and in the basement of 59 Franklin St.
