FARMINGTON — Morty the moose has moved again. This time crossing the river to a new location where Front Street becomes Pleasant Street.

The moose moved along with the Mountain View Chocolate Shoppe. Owner Pam West will reopen on Sept. 8 at 140 Pleasant St., where the store will share a location with Willow Springs and building owner Buzz Davis.

It’s a good fit, Davis said of the combination. His office needs are limited and the tastefully decorated front space lends to a good spot for not only the chocolate shoppe but a display of art and furniture created by local artists. It’s going to be a gallery for candy patrons to enjoy, he said.

“I’ve wanted to move downtown for a long time,” West said. “This is the right time and right place.”

The shared space will be a retail site for her chocolate candies, but pastries, coffee and hot chocolate can be purchased in the space that sports a fireplace, comfy sofa and other pieces from Birchwood Interiors and Mitchell chairs from Dan Maxham, she said.

West intends to extend the chocolate shop’s hours and may have musicians performing a couple nights a week.

“Imagine having a fondue for two after the movies,” she said, referring to the Narrow Gauge Cinema just down the street.

The combination of chocolate and Willow Springs was a collaboration of a couple small businesses networking and trying to make the best of things in hard times, she said.

As for Morty, he’s tightly snuggled in a corner between the store and the deck of the neighboring Dug Out Restaurant. But West is not worried for his safety.

There are regular police checks downtown and the owners of the Dug Out have promised to help take care of him.

He’s revered by many in the community who will respond if anyone’s doing mischief to him, she said.

He’s become an icon in the community with new students at the University of Maine at Farmington and their families already stopping for a picture with the moose even though the shop isn’t open yet, she said.

Once Morty was moved and settled, West realized that his hind end sits just under a posted two hour parking sign … hope he doesn’t get a ticket, she joked.

The moose’s legs were created from wood on West’s New Vineyard home property, the body from a tree in Livermore and the antlers found on the Canadian Maine border. Time has worn the paint from his eyes revealing the deep blue of marbles used.

Morty became a popular landmark for people traveling Route 2 when the shop was located across from Hannaford’s in a building that now houses the Franklin County Chamber of Commerce. Last year, West moved the business and moose to a site next to the West Farmington Post Office.

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Morty the moose and Mt. View Chocolate Shoppe move to downtown Farmington.

Morty the moose and Mt. View Chocolate Shoppe move to downtown Farmington.