After two-year revamp, LLBean reopens flagship store

L.L.Bean will officially open its rebuilt flagship store in Freeport this weekend after two years of construction and temporary operations from an oversized "tent" structure. The 120,000-square-foot store now has a two-tiered trout pond, an expanded 1912 Cafe (named for the year the business was founded by Leon Leonwood Bean), a new entryway with a grand staircase, fresh landscaping of the central Discovery Park campus and other updates. Over six weeks in the fall, it will have a range of activities to welcome back customers. The $50 million update of the flagship store was led by Zachau Construction, which is also based in Freeport. Zachau worked with Arrowstreet Inc. architects, based in Boston; WBRC of Bangor; and South Portland-based Sebago Technics engineers. The project was initiated under the former president and CEO, Steve Smith, who stepped down last year. Greg Elder, a longtime executive, was named president and CEO in January. A 'place to gain inspiration' On Monday morning, Elder joined L.L.Bean board Chairman Shawn Gorman — a great-grandson of the founder — to lead a ceremony to unveil the updated store. Elder told the assembled crowd the project took "years of planning and creativity." "We set out to create a one-of-a-kind destination. The store is bolder, brighter, bigger and more awesome than ever before," Elder said. It maintains the "continuity" of the brand's traditions and its reputation for quality of product and customer service, he added, combined with "change where it counts," including an updated look. Elder cited the support of the board, including the chairman's "design vision." Gorman recalled Leon Bean's start in the basement of his brother's store in a building across Main Street from today's flagship store. Bean, who pioneered outdoor apparel with the now-iconic Maine hunting shoe (also known as the Bean Boot), was also a retail innovator. In 1917, he leased the top floor of a building on the current campus. He was making products, but tapped into "the restorative power of being outside." In 1951, "after too many years of people knocking on the door of his house ... in the middle of the night on their way to their next adventure." Bean "threw away the keys, and the store converted to round-the-clock retailing. "Time outdoors brings out the best of us," Gorman said, while the store offers a chance for customers "a place to gain inspiration and gear up for the next adventure." For the past two years, L.L.Bean's primary retail space was a 20,000-square-foot "tent" structure, something like you might see housing a hockey rink. L.L.Bean, which is privately held, operates 65 stores in 19 states, along with 25 stores in Japan and 14 stores in Canada, in partnership with Jaytex Group. Editor's note: Jim Neuger contributed to this story.