By Abigail W. Adams
Selectmen Judy Flanagan (left), Ben Rines (second from right), and David Cherry (right) hold the ribbon that new business owners Rick Moore and Danny Lester (center left to right) cut to christen the grand opening of Wiscasset Village Antiques. General Manager Sparky Lindsey stands behind them. Also pictured in the back row are chamber of commerce members and Wiscasset Town Planner Jamel Torres (left). |
The red barn at 536 Bath Rd. in Wiscasset will remain an antique dealership thanks to the teamwork of Danny Lester, Rick Moore, and Sparky Lindsey. Formerly Avalon Antiques, the business was in danger of closing after former owner Bill Belmore passed away.
On Friday, July 24 selectmen and members of the Wiscasset Chamber of Commerce joined the trio for a ribbon-cutting ceremony to re-christen the building Wiscasset Village Antiques.
The grand opening ceremony was followed by a weekend of activity, with a radio station broadcasting live from the new business and an appraiser on site to evaluate antiques in the same manner of “Antique Roadshow.”
“We’re like a phoenix rising from the ashes,” Lindsey said.
Belmore, Lindsey, and Lester met at the Nobleboro Antique Exchange where they sold their wares side by side. In 2002, Belmore bought the building at 536 Bath Rd. and opened Avalon Antiques. Lindsey and Lester went with him.
After Belmore passed away in 2013, however, the business fell on tough times. The property at 536 Bath Rd. was about to go on the market.
Lindsey and Lester were told they would have to vacate the building by June 1. “We spent many nights trying to figure out how to keep it open,” Lindsey said. Instead, Lester and Moore formed a business partnership, bought the business, and rebranded it Wiscasset Village Antiques.
Lester became interested in the antique business through attending auctions. He eventually became an antique dealer himself and set up shop at Avalon Antiques, where he also served as assistant manager.
Moore, a restaurateur, was previously a partner in a restaurant and club in San Diego before retiring to Wiscasset. Lester, his neighbor, told him Avalon Antiques was in trouble and he wanted to find a way to make it work.
Through a generous five-year lease on the land and a negotiated price on the building, which Moore and Lester plan to purchase next year, the new business partners were able to make it work. “It’s a great business and it has a long track record of good sales,” Moore said.
Moore is confident the business will thrive in the future. With Moore handling the numbers, Lester handling repairs, and Lindsey serving as the general manager, the trio is celebrating the future of 536 Bath Rd. as Wiscasset Village Antiques.
Selectmen and chamber of commerce members celebrated with them as well.
For more information about Wiscasset Village Antiques, visit www.wiscassetvillageantiques.com or call 882-4029.