Distinctive Downeast lobster pound and restaurant is for sale

A lobster pound that dates back five generations — with a restaurant distinguished by an eye-catching yellow awning — went on the market this week for $5.995 million. Thurston's Lobster Pound is at 11 Thurston Road in Bernard, a village in the town of Tremont on Mount Desert Island. The property, with 12,100 square feet of buildings on 1.53 shorefront acres, is listed by Scott McFarland of LandVest. The listing went live Wednesday afternoon and already has one inquiry, McFarland told Mainebiz. “I’m hoping it’s going to be a buyer who sees the value in keeping the working waterfront and the restaurant going the way it has,” he said. Local fishermen Located on the shore of the harbor, where a sizeable lobster fishing fleet makes its daily rounds, the wholesale side of the business, originally called F.W. Thurston Co., started in 1946 when Fred Thurston purchased the property from another family member, according to the company history. Since then, the dock on the harbor has sold fuel, bait and supplies to local fishermen, while serving as a space to purchase the lobsters that they haul in. In 1948, Fred made his daughter, Audrey (Thurston) Moore, and her husband, Harvey Moore, partners in the business. Fred passed away in 1959, leaving his half of the business to Audrey’s son, Lester Radcliffe. When Harvey passed away in 1971, Lester became sole owner for the next twenty years. Lester’s son, Michael Radcliffe, and his wife, Elizabeth, bought F.W. Thurston Co. in 1991 with plans to expand the business to include a small, seasonal restaurant. The restaurant opened as Thurston’s Lobster Pound in 1993 with a tiny kitchen and 12 tables under a bright yellow awning. Popular restaurant The restaurant became a popular spot for tourists and locals, expanding over the years to accommodate larger crowds, with increased parking, multiple kitchen renovations and the addition of a large dining area on a lower level. The Radcliffes’ daughter and son-in-law, Christina and Derek Lapointe, eventually joined the business. Fishermen have brought their daily catch to the dock throughout the decades. The property sits on over 600 feet of waterfront, includes the restaurant and commercial lobster pound business, commercial wharves, a fuel dock, 200-plus feet of deep-water float space, another 200-plus feet of dinghy/shallow-draft float space, parking, an office with a two-bedroom employee apartment above, and all of the furniture and equipment that pertain to the operation of the business. The seasonal restaurant seats 178 customers across several indoor and outdoor dining areas, including a newer post-and-beam bar area accented by a large stone fireplace. The family has invested yearly into the property, McFarland said. The restaurant is in terrific shape and wharf damage from the “Grinch” storm of 2023 has been corrected by repairs that increased their height as a preventive measure for future storms. The fishing sheds — workspace and storage structures — are older but kept in good repair, said McFarland. More than 30 years along, the Radcliffes were ready for a change, said McFarland. “They’ve put a lot of years, a lot of sweat equity into that business, getting to the point when it’s time to make the transition,” he said. The family will keep the business going while it’s on the market, he said.