In Falmouth, 142-year-old Town Landing Market sells to Portland restaurateurs
Photo / PETER VAN ALLEN
Town Landing Market, which is indeed steps away from the town landing in Falmouth, has been sold for an undisclosed price.
A Falmouth convenience store that has been a gathering place for generations of locals, Town Landing Market has sold to a restaurant group that includes some of Portland’s most on-trend eateries.
Big Tree Hospitality, which owns Eventide Oyster Co., Hugo’s and the Honey Paw, added the business to its portfolio in a deal signed last week. Big Tree and the previous owner, MaryBeth Bachman, confirmed the sale but would not disclose the price.
In a separate transaction, Caitlin and Sam Reiche, sister and brother-in-law of Big Tree chef and co-owner Andrew Taylor, are purchasing the Town Landing Market property. It consists of a 4,000-square-foot former farmhouse and two rental apartments at 269 Foreside Road.
The site has been home to a local grocery since 1880, according to town records. Known as Calden’s during the early 20th century, the business has operated under its current name since at least the 1950s.
Much of the store seems unchanged. A storefront sign advertises “FRESH NATIVE ICE CUBES,” as it has for decades. An old-fashioned Coca-Cola cooler, a working phone booth and a mailbox sit on the Town Landing porch. Regulars still stop by for coffee and conversation each morning.
During the summer, Town Landing sees over 300 customers a day and employs around 30 people, according to Bachman. Residents and sometimes their children have worked the store’s cash register, prepared sandwiches and stocked shelves. For Sam Reiche's grandmother, who grew up nearby, the market provided her first job.
Today the store sells everything from fresh produce and canned goods to gourmet meals and pricey wine to an extensive range of TLM-branded swag.
Town Landing has modernized over the years. Bachman bought the store in 2015, paying $800,000 for the property, and reconfigured Town Landings's checkout and two aisles in 2016. She redid the kitchen in 2018 and added an outdoor eating area.
A lobsterman and former Hannaford supermarket manager, Dan Groves, made renovations when he owned Town Landing before Bachman. A former Hannaford colleague of Groves, Stu Ryder, brought in new product lines and new spit-and-polish when he purchased the business and property in 1981.
Along the way, Town Landing began to evolve from a convenience store to something of a tourist destination. It's been featured in national advertisements for Coca-Cola, gets regular reviews on travel website Tripadvisor, and has attracted celebrity visitors such as Dr. Oz and Walter Cronkite.
The new owner pledges to be faithful to the storied store’s history.
Big Tree COO Kira Butera told Mainebiz, “You should expect no changes in the short term. And very few, minor changes in the long term. This is a classic Maine variety store and we aim to keep it that way.”
Big Tree launched in 2012 when a trio of young food entrepreneurs — Taylor, Arlin Smith and Mike Wiley — purchased Hugo’s restaurant on Middle Street in Portland, then opened Eventide next door. The Honey Paw followed a few years later, and the restaurateurs have since won accolades including a James Beard Award.
Today, Big Tree also operates an Eventide branch in Boston, a catering business and a grocery supply business. The company last year purchased Higgins Beach Market in Scarborough.
Butera said Big Tree’s experience in restaurant operations “will help streamline things in the kitchen” at Town Landing.
But the company has no plans to change staffing there. And the familiar brand will remain the same, she added.
“We wouldn’t dream of changing the name.”
Editor's Note: This story has been updated.
Most Recent
Most Recent
This property should be landmarked. It's an important piece of Falmouth history.
3 Comments