Timing and location are key, and now is the time for John Grenier.
“I feel like Lisbon Street is right on the verge of turning around and I want to be a part of it,” said Grenier, the owner of Rainbow Bicycle & Fitness in Auburn.
Grenier closed on the former Drapeau’s Costume shop downtown at 95 Lisbon St. on Thursday and will move his bike shop there in July. “I’m pretty excited about it,” said the Lewiston resident. Grenier’s vision includes putting a coffee shop, cafe and a big screen TV within his shop, creating “a cycling hub” where cyclists can gather, hold club meetings and organize rides.
Grenier is not the only one who sees a bright future for Lisbon Street. “The whole block is changing. It’s on the upswing,” said Carol Johnson of Livermore during a class at Chill Yoga at 178 Lisbon St.
“There is a lot of energy down here. Lots of ideas popping up,” said Tammie Grieshaber, a photographer and curator of Gallery 5 at 49 Lisbon.
Grieshaber and her dog Shiloh moved into an apartment two stories above Lisbon Street in July. “It’s fun to see Lisbon Street changing, growing,” said Grieshaber, a transplant from St. Louis who spent 4o years living in Auburn. “It’s alive. There is always this buzz down here.”
Grieshaber’s enthusiasm helped persuade her friend, Kevin Callahan, to open a custom and archival framing shop at 191 Lisbon St. rather than out of town. An “opening soon” sign is stuck to the front door of Kimball Street Studios.
“Who would have guessed five years ago that we would have three art galleries within a quarter of a mile,” said Josh Shea, publisher of Lewiston Auburn Magazine, which is at 223 Lisbon St.
Both Grenier and Grieshaber point to one man for starting the turnaround. “I honestly believe Eric started this all,” Grieshaber said about Eric Agren, the owner of the French-inspired cafe Marche, at 40 Lisbon St., and the bistro across the street, Fuel, at 49 Lisbon. Agren opened Fuel in 2007, lives above it and has plans for one more restaurant.
“Eric has done a great job down there,” said Grenier.
“I’m anxious to see what Lisbon Street will be in another five years,” said Grieshaber. “What’s going to happen next? That’s what people feel down here.”
“It’s changing here and it’s cool to be part of it,” said Shea.
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- “The whole block is changing,” said Carol Johnson of Livermore. “It’s on the upswing.”
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- Kathy Moore, left, teaches a Yoga Spirit, Form and Flow class with Carol Johnson, center, and Annie O’Shea, both of Livermore, at Chill Yoga on Lisbon Street. “These towns have a lot to offer. It’s not just the malls,” said Johnson.
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- Annabelle Chapman, 1 1/2, walks into Marche to have lunch with her mother, Renee, and aunt Lisa Asselin, not pictured, on Lisbon Street. The cafe and its “big sister” Fuel, a popular bistro across the street, are owned by Eric Agren, an avid advocate of downtown Lewiston.
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- Pint glasses with the Lewiston Auburn Magazine logo sit in the Lisbon Street office.
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- “What’s going to happen next? That’s what people feel down here,” said Tammie Grieshaber from her apartment overlooking Lisbon Street. “I’m anxious to see what it will be like in another five years.”
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- John Grenier of Lewiston is moving his Auburn bike shop, Rainbow Bicycle & Fitness, into the former Drapeau’s Costume shop on Lisbon Street. Grenier envisions a “cycling hub,” a place to drink coffee and eat lunch at the cafe he plans to put on one of two floors. “I’m pretty excited about it,” said Grenier.
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- Yoga matts sit in the corner at the Chill Yoga studio on Lisbon Street.
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- Kevin Callahan is opening Kimball Street Studios, a custom and archival framing shop on Lisbon Street. Callahan has done work with Gallery 5 and the Bates College Museum of Art.
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