Note: This story ran in the River Valley edition on Friday, but inadvertently was left out of the Franklin edition.

INDUSTRY — This small lakeside town’s only store, The Ugly Moose, closed Friday after a nine-year run.

The once-busy convenience store on Route 43 with its spectacular view of Clearwater Lake and the distant New Vineyard Mountains from its rear deck was where customers could enjoy a good cup of coffee, a generous sandwich, a slice of pizza and good conversation.

But with a stagnant economy and his other business interests taking priority, owner Gary Smith said it was time to move on.

“I will miss the people and I have gotten good support from the community, but you’ve got to have volume for a store like this to survive,” he said.

When Smith, a Long Island, N.Y., native, arrived in 2001, he was an unlikely person to run a mom-and-pop store in a rural Maine town.

He was a professional dance instructor who owned an Arthur Murray Dance Studio back home but liked Maine. He and his wife, Denise, fell in love with the property that had had a string of unsuccessful owners but they felt they could make a go of it with Smith running it himself.

With his background as a plumber before taking over his parents’ longtime dance studio on Long Island, Smith was welcomed into the local community that included working people from farmers to woodsmen as well as summer tourists and camp owners, he said.

The store was frequented by loyal patrons and became an information hub for the town, with Smith helping many local causes.

“Back then, it was just me running the place. I lived in an apartment in the back and would sometimes work from six in the morning to nine at night,” he said.

As a way to attract customers, he renovated the rambling, two-story building into an eye-catching structure with the name “Ugly Moose” in large letters splayed across the facade.

He introduced New York-style pizza with thin crusts; super-sized sandwiches; was the first place around here that sold the New York favorite, Nathan’s Hot Dogs; and he even tried bringing in another Big Apple specialty — the hard roll.

But as his dance instruction business took off in New York and he and his wife started adding studios, he had less time for the store, he said.

“Running a mom-and-pop store takes a lot out of you. It is a lot of work,” Smith said. “I was ready to close two years ago but my wife convinced me to stay open a little longer.”

“I’ve relied on a great staff and we were doing amazing business in the summer. But in the winter, we had to use the money we made in the summer to keep the staff paid,” he said.

“People up here taught me how to live,” he said. “In New York, people don’t have time and they are so focused on what they have to do next. You’re in the fast lane down there. Here, people take time out to say hello. They may have been working for a few hours by the time they came in for a cup of coffee and stop to talk.”

“Up here, if people can’t get to something today, they get it done tomorrow. In New York, if you can’t take care of it today, it can take you weeks to catch up,” he said.

Smith said he will continue to rent out the 15 boat slips he owns on the property and although he’s had some inquiries about taking over the business, no decision has been made.

Neighbor Craig Schuler had a small convenience store across the street back in the 1980s and commiserates with Smith about the hardships of running a family-operated business during hard times.

“When the economy is bad, mom-and-pop stores can’t make any money if they have to hire staff,” Schuler said. “Gary always kept his store neat and clean and it was a good addition to the community. I’m very sorry to hear he is closing.”

Smith and three of his New York dance instructors will be putting on a one-hour dance clinic and demonstration at 6 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 16, at Mt. Blue High School prior to the popular annual Autumn Dance at 7 p.m. The dance will feature the Al Corey Band and the Mt. Blue High School Jazz Band. Call 778-2500 for information on tickets.