Lisbon Street News clerk Ari Roesner, left, gives Nancy Ferrall change Monday afternoon after purchasing lottery tickets at the Lewiston convenience store. Ferrall won $100,000 on a scratch ticket in the past. Russ Dillingham/Sun Journal

For the fifth straight year, Lisbon Street News at 895 Lisbon St., was named the top lottery sales agent in the state, chalking up $2.16 million in sales — the only agent to surpass the $2 million mark in 2024.

The next highest sales came from Broadway Variety in South Portland, at $1.7 million in combined sales.

Lisbon Street News was also the biggest seller of instant tickets at $1.6 million.

The owner attributes the high sales volume to loyal customers who buy lottery tickets repeatedly and many have won scratch-offs, Powerball or as much as $250,000 with tickets purchased at the store.

Fish Bones Grill expanding hours to open Monday nights

Fish Bones Grill in Bates Mill 6 at 70 Lincoln St. is expanding its hours by adding Monday night dinner service beginning March 3 from 4-8:30 p.m. Longtime owners Kate and Paul Landry announced they were selling Fish Bones last month. The sale has been finalized.

Jacob Mcguire prepares a millhouse salad Jan. 20 at Fish Bones Grill at 70 Lincoln St. in Lewiston. The restaurant will open for Monday dinner starting March 3. Russ Dillingham/Sun Journal file

Fish Bones has not been open on Monday nights since the COVID-19 pandemic. Lunch service was reintroduced last September and continues. Owners Floyd Goding and Ryan Costello said customers have been calling and requesting the Monday dinner service, with few fine dining options in the Lewiston and Auburn area on Mondays.

“We’re listening to the wants and needs of the community,” Goding said Tuesday afternoon, adding that the extra service will also help servers and other staff make some money at a traditionally slow time of year for the hospitality industry.

“We want our staff to have a weekend day to be with their families and we feel like Sunday is traditionally a day set aside for being with loved ones and to catch up on life, bills, and projects alike,” Costello added. 

Fish Bones has been open on Mondays for dinner in the past and it just made sense, Goding said.

“We couldn’t be more ecstatic with how the transition has been going these past couple weeks,” Costello wrote in an email Tuesday afternoon. “The staff is receptive to us being new owners, and we’ve received great feedback from patrons and they’re loving the specials we have been offering and we’ve only just begun.”

Chamber of Commerce: Local consumers seem to be spending less

People across the country are pulling back on spending in most areas for a variety of reasons — ranging from cold weather, inflation, concerns over tariffs, jobs and more. Tuesday’s monthly Consumer Confidence Index dropped to its lowest level since June 2024, with the biggest drop in confidence since August 2021.

“Consumers became pessimistic about future business conditions and less optimistic about future income,” Stephanie Guichard, the board’s senior economist for global indicators, said in a news release.

At the local level, the sentiment appears to mirror what’s going on nationally.

In this week’s Monday Message from the Lewiston-Auburn Metro Chamber of Commerce, CEO and President Shanna Cox wrote about a listening session she attended last week held by the Lisbon Economic Development office.

“What I heard that morning mirrors the conversations I am having with business owners across the county, retail is softer than normal (despite the seasonally predictable dip of January and February) and buyers from luxury goods to necessities are hesitant to spend.”

While the conversations might be anecdotal, Cox said she heard the comments “across the board,” from hospitality to retail and even luxury items — a category not usually affected by fluctuations of the stock market.

The threat of tariffs against Canada has translated into U.S. product boycotts in Canada and has many Canadians reconsidering trips across the border this year. “We’re not seeing what we have (seen) in bookings to the U.S.,” Cox said.

The Buzz offers quick hits about trending area business happenings. Have a Buzzable tip? Contact business writer Christopher Wheelock at 689-2817 or cwheelock@sunjournal.com