Bucksport pop-up shops to boost businesses
The town of Bucksport has funded the creation of four “pop-up” retail stores as a way to support local businesses and look beyond Bucksport’s identity as a mill town.
The Ellsworth American reported that the town’s pop-up program gives temporary storefront space on Main Street to local businesses that may not otherwise have been able to afford retail space.
The program, which runs for the entire month of December, was spurred by the announced closure of Verso Paper’s mill last month. Verso has since entered an agreement to sell the mill to a Montreal-based scrap metal company.
The pop-up program, organized by Dave Milan, Bucksport’s economic development director, is being supported with up to $8,500 in town funds to help cover utility costs for property owners. Property owners have agreed to waive rent for the program. Bucksport Bay Area Executive Director Leslie Wombacher has helped rally participants.
“I was hearing it from everybody that we don’t need to be identified simply by Verso,” Milan told the newspaper. “At this time of year, when folks have a tendency to support local businesses, we wanted to be able to provide opportunities for those businesses that traditionally don’t have a storefront to see how beneficial one could be on Main Street.”
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