Courtesy / Malone Commercial Brokers
The goal is to have city permits for Maine Dentistry’s build-out at Hobson’s Landing in time to start construction in September and open the doors in early 2023.
Updated: July 30, 2022
Growing dental practice picks up two retail units at Hobson’s Landing
Courtesy / Malone Commercial Brokers
The owner of a dental practice bought two units at Hobson’s Landing, at 383 Commercial St. in Portland.
The owner of a dental practice with three locations purchased two retail condominiums at the new Hobson’s Landing development in Portland to accommodate his company’s continued growth.
Benjamin Lawlor bought the two units at 383 Commercial St. from Deering Property Development LLC for $1,046,100.
Joe Malone, Jennifer Small and Mark Malone of Malone Commercial Brokers brokered the transaction.
Lawlor owns Maine Dentistry, which has locations at 31 Portland Road in Gray, 15 Middle St. in Portland and 34 Center St. in Auburn.
All together, the offices employ over 30 clinicians and administrative personnel.
Hobson’s Landing
Hobson’s Landing is a multi-phase development with residential and retail condos, a parking garage and a rooftop deck. The developer is Portland-based Reger Dasco Properties.
Lawlor took two of the four of the available retail units for his dentistry practice. Reger Dasco occupies one and one unit remains available.
From avionics to dentistry
Lawlor was raised in northern Maine and fell in love with dentistry at a young age with inspiration from his local dentist, who often provided him and his six siblings with free dental care along with other support such as odd jobs.
Early on, Lawlor’s family struggled financially. That led Lawlor to join the military after high school. He spent 13 years in the U.S. Air Force as an avionics specialist and then dental director, during which time he also obtained the funding needed for college and then went on to dental school to pursue his childhood dream.
After graduation, he received fellowships with several dental organizations. He was recently named among the top “40 Under 40” by a dental magazine named the Incisal Edge.
“I’m very fortunate to be a dentist,” he said. “I’m just very grateful to be where I am.”
He purchased his first dental office in Gray about five years ago and opened his practice.
Growing practice
But he began looking beyond Gray in order to grow the cosmetic side of his business. A couple of years ago, he opened a small, boutique office in a rental unit at 15 Middle St. in downtown Portland and split his time between the two locations.
Demand for services continued to grow in Portland, so he expanded to an adjacent unit. He now has about 2,000 square feet at the Middle Street location.
He also purchased a 7,000-square-foot building in Auburn at 34 Center St. and opened his third office, using about half of the space there, following a $250,000 renovation.
Even in the midst of a pandemic, the practice continued to grow.
Modern designs
The new location at Hobson’s Landing is about 3,000 square feet.
Lawlor has carried over his interest in various types of design elements to the spaces.
At 15 Middle St., one wall features an encased waterfall and another is covered with moss to impart a soothing feeling.
Courtesy / Maine Dentistry
Design elements at Lawlor’s 15 Middle St., Portland, include one wall that’s an encased waterfall and another covered with moss.
In Auburn, there’s modern artwork in the office and plans are gearing up to paint a modern graffiti-inspired mural on the side of the building. The Gray office has more of a refined style designed to highlight the building’s wooden post-and-beam construction.
“Each office has its own feel and identity,” he said.
The build-out at the newest location, expected to cost at least $1 million, is underway. It will also feature waterfall and moss wall elements, as well as 3D scanners, new dental equipment and floor-to-ceiling glazing to maximize the natural lighting.
Lawlor contracted M.W. Hoss Construction in Portland for the build-out. Hoss performed the build-out for Lawlor’s Middle Street and Auburn offices.
The new location will have eight treatment rooms and plenty of parking – an advantage over the Middle Street site, which has no dedicated parking.
Lawlor’s goal is to have permits for the project from the city in month or so, to start construction in September and open doors in January or February 2023.
Financing for the purchase and build-out came from Machias Savings Bank.
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