This week The Buzz is sipping, slipping and summer renovating up a storm — say, $4 million worth, give or take.

First up: Missed Auburn’s Jasmine Cafe?

It’s back as Jasmine Mobile on Route 4 in Turner, across from Hannaford, with favorites like bubble tea, pad thai, chicken teriyaki and drunken noodles.

Jasmine Cafe owner Supannee Saengwong closed the cafe last August after nine years, and, ready for something new, took a job out of New Jersey with a sushi company.

The food truck had run for about seven years, she said, hitting lots of summertime fairs and catering weddings, and would have gone on without her this summer.

Then the pandemic hit. Her job was impacted. And the fairs dried up.

Finding a semi-permanent place to make Jasmine Mobile work suddenly made sense. She opened June 2 and plans to stay open through the end of October.

Saengwong wasn’t expecting to be back, but customers have been happy.

“I didn’t realized how much people miss and appreciate Jasmine,” she said. The first two weeks were almost overwhelming. “There was a line, they were coming to say hi … I find that we have a lot of old customers from Buckfield, up north — they don’t have to go all the way to Auburn or Lewiston to get supper, it’s just on their way.”

Jasmine Mobile is open Tuesday to Friday 3 p.m. to 8 p.m., Saturday noon to 8 p.m. and Sunday 3 p.m. to 8 p.m.

Her parents continue to run Aan-Chun Asian Fusion Restaurant at 730 Center St., in the former Jasmine Cafe space, as takeout-only, for now.

Saengwong said she doesn’t miss running her old restaurant.

“I miss the good times, it’s a good memory,” but a lot of hard work, she said. The food truck, though, is “something I invented and I haven’t wanted to let go of it yet. It’s a part of me with food that I still want to make it work.”

New marina

After having a lakeside view to all of the activity happening on the water at Sabattus Pond, Chad Sylvester and his wife, Sherri, started planning a new business venture last year.

They’re looking to open Sabattus Lake Marina on Cove Lane in Sabattus next month, as soon as the docks arrive.

“We live close to Martin’s Point and watch the boats go in and out — some of the same boats go in and out daily, if not every weekend,” said Chad Sylvester. “We’re going to start small and see where it goes.”

As soon as he showed the new business logo last week on social media, “We had three inquiries right off the bat, so we’re thinking it’s going to be a good idea,” he said.

It will start as a 12-slip marina, the first on the lake.

Next year, he sees potentially offering boat or jet ski rentals, depending upon interest.

“Unfortunately with COVID, the town was shut down for a few weeks and it kind of delayed the permit process,” Sylvester said. “I really love being on the water along with just about every aspect of being on the water, so I’m really looking forward to it.”

New renovations

The Twin Cities downright bustled last month with the start of commercial renovations.

Projects on Lewiston and Auburn’s permit reports, both released Tuesday:

• A $150,000 remodel for the new home of Rooper’s Beverage and Redemption Center on Main Street in Lewiston, in the former Neokraft Signs, a project approved by the Planning Board last month;

• A $244,151 remodel for the Dunkin’ Donuts at 800 Minot Ave. by owners FPM Donuts/Dunkin Donuts.

• A $720,103 renovation for Schooner Estates at 200 Stetson Road renovating an old residential care wing to house nine residential care beds and 15 assisted living studio apartments, according to Director of Operations John Rice.

“This wing was part of the original construction of Schooner in 1988 and was designed as a nursing home,” he said. “We anticipate opening the newly renovated wing by the end of this year. It is our second major remodel project with HE Callahan after completely renovating our main kitchen two years ago.”

• A $850,000 interior renovation for Shaw’s Supermarket at 600 Center St.

• A $2,278,956 renovation and addition to the Maine National Guard training and maintenance facility at 64 Mount Apatite Road, which includes a 4,952-square foot addition and renovating 350 square feet of an existing building.

According to Public Affairs Officer Maj. Carl Lamb, the addition and renovation will be to current administrative and maintenance work bay-support space.

The next phase of the project, planned for next summer, will enhance the height of the maintenance bays and add drive-thrus. The projects were split up due to funding constraints, he said.

Take a bow?

The website RealBusinessSavings.com surveyed 3,500 people nationwide asking how much of their salary they’d be willing to give up to keep working from home instead of returning back to the office.

Mainers surveyed said they’d give up $371.20 a month, a bit more than the national average of $316.

The site also asked folks what they think will replace the handshake as an everyday greeting: 65% said an elbow tap, 28% a nod, 5% a foot tap and 2% a bow.

Start limbering up.

This Buzz was updated at 9:35 a.m.

Quick hits about business comings, goings and happenings. Have a Buzzable tip? Contact staff writer Kathryn Skelton at 689-2844 or kskelton@sunjournal.com.

Copy the Story Link

« Previous

New guessing game: What’s going into the former Krispy Kreme?

Next »

A new marina to dock on Sabattus Pond