Insider Notebook: Jibe Spin Studio opening at long-vacant Yarmouth space is stalled

Photo / Peter Van Allen Spin studio Jibe was set to open March 20 in the former McDonald's in Yarmouth, but that's been put off because of the COVID-19 outbreak.

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By Maureen Milliken

It's clear that businesses all over Maine have taken a big hit in the past few weeks as the state responds to the COVID-19 crisis. The story of what happened with Jibe Spin Studio's planned opening of a second location is just one example of how quickly things went from great to awful.

But it's also a lesson in the resilience of many of the state's business owners, who are making quick pivots to stay connected to customers.

On March 9, Jibe Spin Studio, of 30 Free St. in Portland, announced it would hold a grand opening for a second location, in Yarmouth, on March 20.

The new location is in 2,393 square feet in the former McDonald's at 750 U.S. Route 1, a building owned by Hannaford. The space has been empty since McDonald's moved out in Febrary 2015. Jibe owner Joanna Pease closed on a lease earlier this year, in a transaction brokered by Sylas Hatch, TC Haffenreffer, and Charlie Craig from NAI The Dunham Group.

Pease's Portland studio was already attracting spin riders from Yarmouth, Cumberland, Freeport and beyond.

“Yarmouth was the ideal location to expand to,” the studio said in its earlier news release. Pease had searched the area for months, and chose the standalone building by Hannaford because of its square footage, proximity to the highway, ample parking and visibility from Route 1.

“Turning fast food into fitness,” the release said, the building, which has been renovated by Ducas Construction, of Portland, includes a spin room with Stages bikes, locker rooms with five spa-like showers, secure lockers, pre- and post-workout energy aids and a boutique with women’s and men’s apparel.

But spinners are going to have to wait to enjoy all that.

On March 17, Jibe issued another news release — not only is the Yarmouth opening delayed, but the Portland studio, which she opened in April 2018, is temporarily closed.

Pease, though, has a passion for spinning and wasn't going to let the building closings stop her. In the same announcement that the Portland studio was closing temporarily, and the Yarmouth opening was delayed, Jibe also announced the launch of Jibe at Home.

The subscription streaming service provides at least one class a day. Jibe is renting out 75 bikes. The program was so in demand that all bikes were reserved within seconds of releasing them.

Photo / Maureen Milliken

Hobby Lobby opened earlier this month in Waterville, but is now temporarily closed.

Hobby Lobby opens, closes in Waterville

In Waterville, 900-store chain Hobby Lobby opened last month in 50,000 square feet of space most recently occupied by Kmart, in Elm Plaza. The store, the Oklahoma retailer's third in Maine, held a ribbon-cutting March 9.

The property is owned by Waterville Shopping Trust, and the lease was brokered by Charlie Craig, of NAI The Dunham Group, and Kevin Higgins, of Oxford Street Retail Advisors. The shopping center is anchored by a Hannaford and has a number of other stores, including J.C. Penney, a Subway and half a dozen small clothing and specialty stores. Kmart closed a year ago.

On Tuesday morning, Hobby Lobby was fairly busy. On Wednesday it was temporarily closed following Gov. Janet Mills’ mandate that nonessential stores shut until April 8. The store, on its website, encourages customers in areas affected by COVID-19 to shop online.

COVID-19 housing policy developments

There have been some policy developments in the home ownership and rental markets related to COVID-19. Here's a quick look at some of the bigger ones.

Mortgage lenders Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac and the Federal Home Loan Banks are allowing delays in mortgage payments for those whose ability to pay is affected by COVID-19.Those who qualify also won't incur late fees, delinquencies won't be reported to credit bureaus and foreclosure and other legal proceedings will be suspended. Borrowers who have trouble catching up at the end of the temporary relief period may also be able to get additional assistance.

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development also authorized the Federal Housing Administration to put a 60-day moratorium on all foreclosure and evictions for single-family homeowners who have FHA-insured mortgages for the next 60 days.

The National Multifamily Housing Council has made recommendations to landlords of rental units:

Halt evictions for 90 days for those who can show they have been financially impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. (This would not apply to evictions for other lease violations such as property damage, criminal activity or endangering the safety of other residents of the community.)
Avoid rent increases for 90 days to help residents weather the crisis.
Create payment plans for residents who are unable to pay their rent because of the outbreak and waive late fees for those residents.
Identify governmental and community resources to help residents secure food, financial assistance and healthcare and share that information with residents.
Communicate to residents that it is a priority for the industry to partner with them to help them retain their housing.
Develop a response plan for potential COVID-19 exposure.

The council also has a variety of resources for landlords on its website.

City officials in Maine are advocating similar measures.

Portland Mayor Kate Snyder, in the wake of the city's state-at-home order, issued a news release Wednesday with similar recommendations for landlords. She'd recently stressed that, with court procedures halted, evictions won't be moving through the court system anyway. Wednesday she added a further plea to landlords.

“While I’ve been reassuring people that evictions are not happening now due to the closure of courts, I’d like to ask landlords for their cooperation during this time, and for several months following the recovery, to work with renters as we all manage our way through this crisis,” Snyder said. “It’s imperative to ensure that our residents are housed and protected, as many are facing unforeseen changes in their employment and income status.”

Snyder has talked with Southern Maine Landlord Association President Brit Vitalius, who emphasized the importance of communication between tenants and landlords, her release said. “It’s critical that tenants and landlords are communicating with each other so that they can achieve agreement about how to weather the coming weeks and months together.”

Auburn Mayor Jason Levesque Tuesday night issued a similar release urging social distancing and other measures. "I further implore local landlords to work closely with your tenants to help them through this challenging time to avoid/pause evictions and keep our residents safely in their homes until this is all behind us," he said.