BANGOR, Maine — A Glenburn couple is breathing new life into an old staple in the Bangor community.
The Six Mile Falls store on outer Broadway in Bangor is under new ownership and they are determined to keep the store’s old vibe.
Lisa Watson recently purchased the store with her husband, Steve, moving their existing candy store, Cravin' Candy, to the new location.
Watson said their goal of reopening the store is to “bring an old staple back to life.”
"We do want to keep the whole meat market and the store as a whole," said Steve. "We don't want to change a thing, just add new ideas, freshen the place up, give it our own special touch and feel as new owners."
You can still find the meat market in the back of the store and the pizza under a heat lamp at lunchtime.
The convenience store and meat market have a nearly 70-year history, at least that the Watson's can track. They have big plans to commemorate the history in their store's aisles in the future.
"2021 will be 70 years of the store back in 1951," said Steve. "Hopefully in 2021, we can do a nice, big, huge grand opening and celebrate that 70 years of history."
"We want to give it life again," added Lisa. "Its been here for so long. Its gone through several owners over the years and we want it to be our second home."
The previous owners, another husband-wife couple, gave up the store after the wife got sick and they felt like they couldn’t give the store the attention it needed.
The Watson's are blending the old with the new at their Six Mile Falls store, named for its popular location in the Spring during the Kenduskeag Stream Canoe Race for spectators to gather and watch the canoers row by.
"I remember riding my bike to Six Mile Falls to watch the canoe races and this was one of the frequent stops," said Steve of his store.
As the store's new owner, Steve said he hopes it continues to be a frequent stop for spectators year-round for another 70 years.
"In the mornings, you get the same guys that come in and get the same breakfast sandwich, the same coffee, and the lottery ticket, and then again in lunchtime, it might be the same guy come in and get his cheeseburger, cup of coffee, and they come in multiple times a day," said Steve. "That's what we want and that's what we like. We like the locals but we do want to have new customers come in also."
The couple is hopeful some of these new customers will mention seeing the story when they stop into the store for a special surprise this month.