PARIS – For the first time in many years, a grocery store will be available within walking distance for in-town residents of Norway and Paris.

A deal has been struck to open a Save-A-Lot grocery store in 14,000 square feet of the former Bob’s Discount space in the Cornwall Shopping Plaza on Main Street in Paris.

The store’s owner, John Hammontree, who owns a Save-A-Lot store in Portland, signed a 10-year lease with the shopping plaza’s owner, John Parsons of York.

He will renovate the inside, “floor to ceiling,” he said, and plans to “build a bright, clean store for customers to enjoy” that will open within the next two and a half months.

Hammontree said everyone he has talked to so far is so excited about having an intown grocery store again, they haven’t even focused on the discount pricing that is the hallmark of Save-A-Lot stores.

“No one has even asked about pricing,” said Hammontree, 41, who has a license agreement allowing him independent ownership with the national Save-A-Lot grocery store chain.

His contract includes four five-year options for renewal after the 10-year lease runs out.

“This is just the kind of young entrepreneur we are trying to target to locate in this area,” said Barb Olson, vice president of EnterpriseMaine. EnterpriseMaine, through its real estate arm, Western Maine Financing, provided Hammontree with a $100,000 start-up loan after Hammontree approached them about locating in the Oxford Hills.

The smaller store also makes shopping more convenient, he said.

“Our store size allows customers to have a quick and easy shopping experience,” noted Hammontree. “That means you don’t have to search all over to find a particular item.”

Town leaders and other business owners in the Cornwall Shopping Center said the presence of Save-A-Lot will be a big boon to the plaza and the Main Street commercial district.