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FARMINGTON: Downtown welcomes new businesses
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BY BETTY JESPERSEN
Staff Writer Kennebec Journal & Morning Sentinel 09/28/2009

FARMINGTON -- Empty storefronts on Main Street might be seen by some as a downtown "half empty."

But to others, the sudden proliferation of "For Rent" signs in Farmington is seen as a downtown "half full."

"It is coincidental that they are all coming up at the same time," said Byron "Buzz" Davis. "It really makes this a great opportunity for new businesses to open in town."

"Downtown Farmington is an ideal location for because it is a commercial hub and a consumer population is already here," said Davis, owner of Riverbend Property Management and Willow Springs Gallery at 140 Pleasant St., downtown.

The most visible, soon-to-be vacant commercial property will be Mickey's Hallmark Store on Main Street. Mickey's is closing Sept. 30 after nearly 60 years due to the poor economy. No prospective tenants are on the horizon.

Another vacancy will soon be End of The Rainbow, next door to Mickey's, which sells homeopathic and herbal remedies, and supplements. The new owner says she needs more room and is relocating to a new commercial space on Farmington Falls Road in October.

"For Rent" signs have also been up for months at two commercial properties next to Dunkin Donuts on Main Street. And another 1,200 square feet is now available next door to Tranten's at 186 Main St. since the Sun Journal newspaper moved to West Farmington.

At the same time, there is some positive news.

* 3D Games, a national franchise company that buys, sells and trades video games and game systems, has opened to brisk business at 133 Broadway.

* Mountain View Chocolate Shoppe has relocated from West Farmington to 140 Pleasant St. It shares retail space with Davis' company.

* Farmington Travel at 125 Broadway has a new owner and is seeing an upswing in business.

Chocolate-shop owner Pam West now sells her handmade sweets, pastries and catered wedding cakes from the front portion of Davis' newly renovated offices. There are a few chairs and tables for people to sip Fair Trade coffee, tea or cocoa, nibble on a pastry and look at local art work on display, she said.

"I always wanted to have a café to give people a place where they can sit down, meet a friend, or find a quiet spot to just relax," she said.

The store was on Wilton Road by Hannaford's for nine years. Last year, West relocated to Oakes Street in West Farmington but in August, the owner decided to sell the property and she had to move.

"This place feels like home," said west of her new space. "There is walk-in traffic and the ambiance downtown is so friendly. There is a little community here and that connection is something I didn't have before."

At 3D Games, owner Brian Libby and his wife, Julie, did a marketing survey before they bought the franchise and found people from this area were traveling out of town to shop at video-game stores.

Brian Libby, a Farmington native, said the industry has weathered the economic downturn and is a rapidly growing market. According to a survey by the MacArthur Foundation, 97 percent of children ages 12 to 17 play video games but "tweens" and teens no longer monopolize the market as they once did. Sales today are split 50/50 between adults and children.

"This is a whole new industry now that goes beyond Space Invaders," Libby said.

At End of the Rainbow, new owner Shirley Bourgault, purchased the business from Sandra Webber who had built up a loyal customer base interested in alternative therapies.

The former Nickerson Buick car dealership she is moving into is being renovated and divided into small retail spaces with plenty of parking. Lack of parking downtown was a factor in Bourgault's decision to relocate, she said.

The store stocks vitamins, protein supplements, herbal products, teas, skin care products and "green" cleansers. In the new location, there will be a juice bar, rooms for massage therapists and a tanning bed.

At Farmington Travel, 15-year employee Chanda Luker took the plunge bought the agency from Bruce Miles over the summer.

There is competition from online travel sites, she said, but Luker said her business is picking. She is upbeat about the future of the downtown.

Betty Jespersen -- 778-6991

bjespersen@centralmaine.com

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