OTISFIELD ⁠— The morning after a truck plowed through the front of Bolsters Mills General Store in January, destroying almost everything in its path, longtime employee Samantha Gagne said she looked at the carnage and cried.

“It was so devastating,” Gagne said.

On Saturday morning, Gagne and two other employees, Kristin Smith and her sister, Tiffany Gagne, sat in the rebuilt space, varnishing wood, sanding tables and putting the finishing touches on the small country store that plans to reopen on Monday.

Samantha Gagne said back in January, it was hard to imagine that this day would come. The truck, driven by Zachary Mercier, 32, of Bridgton crashed through the front door, clearing the coffee station in the back of the store and hitting the stove in the kitchen, causing a small fire.

According to Gagne, it could have been worse. Mercier, who was charged with eluding an officer, reckless conduct with a dangerous weapon, aggravated criminal mischief, criminal operating under the influence, operating after suspension, criminal mischief and refusing to submit to arrest in January, barely missed the lone gas pump in front of the store.

“His bumper smooshed this back wall all the way up against the grill. We had a small fire in the kitchen . . . he’s lucky he didn’t explode,” Gagne said. “The gas tank was perfectly fine . . . he barely missed it.”

Fortunately, the damage was fixable. Things started to take shape once the gaping hole in the wall was repaired.

“But once we got all the trash picked up, and we could see what needed to be done . . . it looked like a lot,” said Gagne. “For a minute there, we thought we wouldn’t be able to open back up. But once we got that front wall back up, everything came together pretty fast. It was surprising.”

Gagne said regulars have been pulling up to the store, asking when it will open.

“We’ve had quite a few people stop by the past couple days, saying, ‘When are you opening? I want a steak and cheese, I want a pizza, I want beer!'” said Tiffany Gagne.

According to Smith, the renovation has brought some improvements to the store. She said previously it was hot in the summer and cold in the winter; employees regularly wore two pairs of socks. With two new air conditioners and insulation, the store will be comfortable.

Smith said some employees have moved on to other jobs, but most of the core group remains. And for Smith, the reopening spells a return to normalcy.

“I have a regular, primary job, and I was telling the girls the other day that I’m so glad he’s opening,” she said. “I don’t know what to do with myself at night anymore. Usually, I rush from home over here. Now, I don’t know what to do. At 6:30, I’m like, ‘Is it bedtime?’ I have no idea what to do with myself.”

And in the face of damage that seemed devastating, Gagne said employees weren’t initially sure what the future held, but over the course of a few months, a plan emerged.

“We can put our store back together, that’s what we can do,” she said.

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