Abby Skrabak, right, helps Tim Spohrer decorate the window of Dube’s Flower Shop on Friday. The longtime Lewiston flower store will close Dec. 31. Skrabak is one of four owners. Andree Kehn/Sun Journal

LEWISTON — A fixture in the city’s downtown for nearly a century, Dube’s Flower Shop is closing its doors.

The Lisbon Street business has served as a go-to for area residents on all occasions calling for cut flowers and floral arrangements, including holidays, anniversaries, weddings and funerals since its doors first opened in the early 1930s.

Francis Dube, an immigrant who also owned a greenhouse in the area had been seeking, in part, to serve the local French-Canadian immigrant community by starting the business, co-owner Amy Griswold said Friday.

The shop remained in the Dube family until the 1980s when it was sold to a local couple who, after operating it for 44 years, sold it in May 2023 to its current owners, including Jessica Donovan, Mark Avila, Abigail Jones-Skrabak and Griswold.

In addition to flowers, the shop carries gifts, such as cards and home decor items.

Since taking over the business, Griswold said revenues have risen by nearly one-third. But higher costs for labor, inventory and insurance have made it difficult to remain profitable, she said.

The seasonal nature of the business also has been a challenge during some of the slower times of year, Griswold said.

Looking ahead, she said, the prospect of high tariffs on imports, including flowers, forced the owners to calculate how much of a price increase they could absorb and pass along to the consumer before the product cost just became unreasonable.

They explored the possibility of selling the business but, “unfortunately, the financials didn’t make sense for something like that,” she said.

If there are prospective buyers out there, Griswold said she would welcome all inquiries.

She and the shop’s other owners also own the building that houses the business. If they don’t sell the shop, they plan to look for a new tenant to occupy the prime downtown commercial space, she said.

“We are committed to staying here and helping to support the downtown Lewiston area,” she said, giving a nod of thanks to the support the shop’s owners have received from the city, which has struggled in its efforts to revitalize downtown Lisbon Street.

Unlike most weekends, when it’s usually closed, Dube’s plans to be open Saturday to help celebrate Sparkle Saturday and Holiday in the Plaza.

The shop’s last day of business will be Dec. 31.