Local production | A conversation with Betsy and Zeth Lundy, founders and owners of the Central Street Farmhouse in Bangor
Photo/Courtesy Central Street Farmhouse
Zeth and Betsy Lundy
Central Street Farmhouse
Founded: November 2010
Employees: 5
Startup costs: $50,000-$55,000
Projected revenue, year one: upwards of $250,000
Projected revenue, year two: $300,000
Contact: 992-4454
30-32 Central St., Bangor
www.centralstreetfarmhouse.com
What is Central Street Farmhouse?
We are a do-it-yourself lifestyle store. Our main specialization is beer, wine and cheese, although we also have a baby boutique, where we sell cloth diapers, nursing bras and other eco-friendly baby products. We have set out to find some of the most innovative, ecological and economical products on the market, having discovered locally made products from small artisans that meet our standards. With the baby industry booming, we have an experienced staff of mothers here to help you understand your choices and make the best selection for your lifestyle. As far as beer, wine and cheese go, we carry a wide variety of home wine- and beer-making kits, as well as locally processed and fresh cheeses, milk, eggs and other produce. We also offer classes on beer-making, cloth diaper-making and nutrition.
Why did you start Central Street Farmhouse?
We spent 15-plus years living in urban areas, and having had a baby, it made us think more carefully about our lifestyle and the future of our baby. So we began to eat fresher and healthier. Having always been interested in home-brewing and the farmer’s market, we quit our day jobs in the city to open a store that best reflected the lives we wanted to live. We also did it to not only provide fresh, local products to the community, but also to promote a healthier, greener way of living.
How do you market this business?
We have a website that includes information about our products and classes that we offer, as well as a Facebook page for people to give us feedback, check out our photos and upcoming events like our “Beer Brewing 101” and “Breastfeeding Support” workshops. With a small advertising budget, word of mouth has been our biggest seller. We also try to advertise downtown at farmer’s markets and artisan festivals as much as possible.
How do you finance this business?
The majority comes from business loans through our bank and the Eastern Maine Development Corp. We also have put a great deal of personal investment into it.
What are some challenges running this business?
Buying a three-story building and renovating it to serve as both an apartment and a business. It is the first piece of property we have ever bought, so it’s difficult being a new home and business owner at the same time in a historic downtown. It was a pretty big project and we did most of it ourselves. So we had two jobs at once, and had to make sure the fluctuations with our home renovations did not carry over into our interactions with our customers. Things are also moving much faster than we had anticipated. It’s not easy trying to keep up with more rapid demand; however, it’s been a lot of fun and definitely a learning experience.
What has been successful about your business strategy?
The fact that our business is such a unique concept: a beer and baby boutique. When we set up our business plan, we expected the home-brew section to produce about two-thirds of our business and the baby section do one-third. At this point, things have pretty much stuck according to plan, but the baby section has performed a little better than we expected. We actually break even on the food section, but it draws a lot of people into the store who might not otherwise come in. Plus we eat what we carry, so we enjoy that a lot. Being unique has really worked to our advantage — people remember us.
What are your plans for the future of this business?
Trying to find what works best for us and listening to what the community wants. We also want to get our online store up and running, and continue to find locally made products. Many of our beer-making ingredients are grown in Maine. We would like to advertise the idea that its not easy to find ingredients all in one place and that we have everything our customers need under one roof.
Interview by Kayla Collins
New Ventures profiles young businesses, 6-18 months old. Send your suggestion and contact information to editorial@mainebiz.biz.
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