Webster Trading Co. prepares to relocate from its current Mill Street location.

AUBURN – The old Jimmy’s restaurant on Minot Avenue will soon be the new home of Webster Trading Co.

Owner Don Webster bought the property and is renovating the building, which has been empty for years, according to Paul Berube, a pawn broker for the company that’s now situated on Mill Street.

“The store is moving,” Berube said. “It’s a better location, has better parking. We expect a larger clientele.”

Environmental problems on the former Jimmy’s property – aging underground gas tanks – were taken care of before Webster bought the property, Berube said.

Webster Trading has been in business since 1994, selling and trading a range of used merchandise. The current Mill Street store has limited space and parking, Berube said.

Once relocated, Webster plans to expand sales to include motor homes, ATVs, recreational vehicles and boats. It won’t sell enough to resemble a car dealership, but the high-traffic location of Minot Avenue and the larger parking lot will help make those sales possible, Berube said.

Work has begun on the property, reversing years of sitting empty and vandalism. If renovations go as planned, the move will occur by January.

– Bonnie Washuk