Mexicali Blues is moving temporarily while excited to begin construction on their new Newcastle store. The popular store will operate temporarily in Damariscotta beginning this week located at the former Animal House space at 372 Main St., Bus Rt. 1.
“Our temporary location is close to our first home, now King Eider’s, so we’re looking forward to reconnecting Mexicali Blues with downtown Damariscotta,” said Mexicali Blues owner Pete Erskine, “especially during the excitement of the Pumpkin Festival and upcoming holiday season.”
Mexicali’s current Newcastle location will close Sept. 12 so that merchandise could be moved to the temporary Damariscotta store, opening Thurs., Sept. 13 at 372 Main Street..
The new retail store has been designed by Anna Courville and William M. Thompson, AIA of Newcastle-based Stoneboat Architectural Design PC.
Mexicali Blues has grown significantly as a brand since opening the current Newcastle store over 17 years ago, and is now in the position to replace the old, inefficient building with one that will be a flagship.
“We focused on designing a space that would echo who Mexicali Blues is as a company, while ensuring that the design was rooted here in Maine,” said Courville.
Mexicali Blues has contracted with Becker Construction of Newcastle and Nobleboro, owned by Mark Becker and Deb Wilson, to build the new retail flagship.
Mexicali is excited about the local partnerships stemming from this project. “The new design is a true reflection of the international brand that Mexicali Blues is today. Stoneboat and Becker Construction have done an unbelievable job of fostering a truly collaborative design environment,” said Topher Mallory, CEO of Mexicali Blues.
“From our perspective,” said Wilson, vice president of Becker Construction, “we are thrilled to be working with our neighbors to bring their dream of a very special and creative retail environment to fruition.”
The new building will be environmentally efficient, working within the means of the company while keeping the best interests of the community in sight.
The new building will increase the size over the current location, coming in at roughly 4000 square feet.
A parking lot around the back will increase parking and enhance safety by removing the curb barriers on the edge of Rt. 1 and routing customers and staff away from the edge of the highway.
The temporary Damariscotta Mexicali Blues location will have the same phone number as before, 563-3680.
Mexicali’s new Newcastle location will open in the second half of 2013. Follow their progress on www.mexicaliblues.com, where one can easily find their blog and other social media outlets.
