D.J. Foster, owner of Bow Jangles Beverage and Redemption, stands by a selection of Maine beer at his new store. (Evan Houk photo)
Bristol native D.J. Foster, owner of Bow Jangles Beverage and Redemption, hopes to fill a need for an extensive beverage selection and redemption center on the peninsula with his new store at 2025 Bristol Road in Pemaquid.
“I really think we have one of the best wine and beer selections in town,” Foster said during an interview at the store on Tuesday, Aug. 3.
Bow Jangles is the only redemption center in Bristol.
The beverage side of the store is loaded with a nice selection of Maine beers, popular domestics, and different varieties of hard seltzer water.
The shop also has an impressive selection of wine, snacks, soft drinks, and a “Maine-made” section that will soon be filled with local products like Smith’s Log Smokehouse beef jerky and Coastal Maine Popcorn Co. snacks.
“I can’t say enough about the vendors and the sales reps. They did a good job setting this up trying to figure out what the clientele was in the area,” Foster said.
He also keeps a list of requests for certain items or beverages that people would like to see in the store to refine his inventory over time.
Bow Jangles Beverage and Redemption offers an impressive selection of wine and beer and will soon offer coffee, local baked goods, lottery, and tobacco. (Evan Houk photo)
“The biggest thing here is you’ve got to listen to the customers and see what they want. They’re going to tell you and that’s going to get you your foot traffic,” Foster said.
He hopes to have coffee and local baked goods available in the near future and a machine with packaged ice cream products will be stocked by the end of the week. He also plans to provide lottery tickets and tobacco products.
Foster wants to stock eggs and dairy products, as soon as he can find a distributor who can take on a new customer. He suspects that Core-Mark Distributors, Inc., is experiencing staffing shortages just like nearly every other company because he has not been able to set up an account with them yet to purchase grocery products.
Foster also has unopened cases of Twisted Tea, Red Bull, and other beverages available for sale so customers can save money on a bulk purchase.
Before starting construction on the brand new building that houses Bow Jangles, Foster worked in retail for a subcontractor at Bath Iron Works, selling Carhartt work clothes and Red Wing boots.
Bow Jangles Beverage and Redemption is now open at 2025 Bristol Road in Pemaquid and offers a wide selection of beer, wine, snacks, and soft drinks. (Evan Houk photo)
“I knew there was a need for a redemption and I always enjoyed retail. So I decided it would probably be easier if they went hand-in-hand,” Foster said.
He found a property through Mark Hanley and began clearing it and constructing the building last November.
Bow Jangles is named for Foster’s family dog, who was renamed from his previous owner’s moniker, Bow Tie Duramax Diesel.
“My kids have always teased me that I love him more than them. I said, ‘Alright, then I’ll name the business after him,’” Foster said with a laugh.
Hours for the redemption center, subject to change, are 8:30 a.m. to noon Wednesday through Sunday with extended hours until 7 p.m. on Thursday.
Hours for the beverage center are 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Friday and Saturday, and 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Sunday.
For more information, visit bowjanglesbeverage.com or call 677-0033.
