The business has operated at a loss ever since it opened in June 2001.
By Gail Geraghty
Staff Writer

NORWAY – The concept of a retail store showcasing all Maine-made products hasn’t died in Norway, but it is downsizing.

Maine Discoveries, a project of EnterpriseMaine, will be moving from its 6,000-square-foot space adjoining the New Balance store to 1,500 square feet of space in the brick Odd Fellows building next door. Another tenant, not yet determined, would occupy the other half of the ground floor of the Odd Fellows, the former home to the Little Jungle pet store.

EnterpriseMaine owns both buildings, and five years ago poured $750,000 into the former J.J. Newberry Store that houses New Balance and Maine Discoveries.

Maine Discoveries has operated at a loss ever since it opened, EnterpriseMaine Chief Executive Officer Brett Doney acknowledged Monday.

“We’re still comfortable that we can succeed, but at 1,500 square feet,” Doney said. The existing store “has a lot of open space” and while it has “generated some substantial sales,” Doney said competition from overseas products has had a definite negative impact.

EnterpriseMaine is negotiating now with a business that would occupy the Maine Discoveries space once it moves out. He wouldn’t say who, but he did say plans are for an “exciting use for that space that will be a benefit and a boost for downtown.”

The bright and modern Maine Discoveries store opened in June 2001 and has had two managers, Mary Ellingwood and Bridget Marston. It has been operating without a store manager since the beginning of July, Doney said. Although the store is advertising for a new manager, Doney said he’s not sure whether one will be hired.

The store has also cut back on its hours. When it opened, it operated seven days a week. It has not been open on Sundays and Mondays since Sept. 2, and a sign on the door says the store hours are Tuesday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., through Nov. 29.

The store offers fine gifts, furniture, housewares, pottery, cards, apparel, specialty foods, jewelry, books and music. Currently it has 62 vendors of products from the Oxford Hills, with the rest of the inventory coming from other parts of the state.

EnterpriseMaine, otherwise known as the Growth Council of Oxford Hills, decided to enter the retail sales business in 1998, after Newberry’s closed, in an effort to provide a catalyst for the revitalization of downtown Norway, promote tourism, support small manufacturers, and make money for the Growth Council’s regional economic development effort.

The bylaws for the for-profit store allow for compensation for its board of directors, and shareholders who hold stock in the corporation.

Doney envisioned that Norway’s Maine Discoveries would be the first of a chain of Maine Discovery stores.

“I still think we can make a go of it,” Doney said. Despite the fact that overseas companies can “knock off” a quality Maine-made product and mass-produce it, “I really think people do care if a product is made in Maine, and want to support U.S. manufacturers.” Maine Discoveries has a customer database of more than 8,000, he said.

Part of the plan was also to use marketing students at Oxford Hills Comprehensive High School to sell the products over the Internet.

The plan to move the Maine Discoveries store into part of the Odd Fellows space will be reviewed by the Growth Council Board of Directors at its October meeting. If approved, the project could be put out to bid this winter and be completed by the end of 2004, Doney said.

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