In full bloom for Small Business Saturday in Auburn, new owner for Sabattus bakery

Shopping, storage, sunny dispositions — it’s a three-Buzz week!

First up: It’s beginning to look at lot like the first Saturday after Thanksgiving.

The mayors of Lewiston and Auburn this week signed an official proclamation encouraging residents to celebrate Small Business Saturday on Nov. 27 by shopping local.

One long-time local business opens bright and early that day at 8 a.m. and is also now just one of three major poinsettia growers left in Maine.

Whiting Farm planted 2,700 of them back in July for peak holiday plant cheer next month.

They take pride in growing and offering local, said farm director Andrew McBean.

“Any (poinsettias) you see at Home Depot, Lowe’s, anything like that, those are all coming from down south, Central America,” he said. “Again, in comparison, a lot of the places you go, most of the (Christmas) trees you’re going to buy in Maine are going to come from Canada.”

Whiting Farm sources its trees from a single farm in Dover-Foxcroft, he said.

John F. Murphy Homes bought the farm in 2015 and revenue goes back to helping the special needs community.

In addition to selling to the public, this time of year the farm also decks out about 20 local churches.

“We supply them with their poinsettias, swags, Christmas trees — we decorate the entire facilities,” McBean said. “So when you go to Holy Cross Church, for instance, on Lisbon Street, their cathedral, their church, all of that Christmas look all comes from our farm.”

OUT OF THE HOME KITCHEN, INTO A BAKERY

Jenna Roberts of Marvelous Macarons takes a selfie with some sweet treats in her new bakery in Sabattus. She bought the former Front Porch Bakery last month and is letting customers vote on a new name Saturday. Submitted photo

Front Porch Bakery in Sabattus found a cheery buyer.

The former owner had posted on social media earlier this year that she was looking to move on, writing: “Will work with new owner to have a smooth transition. Space is great for other ideas with an awesome landlord. Beautiful little town and the best customers. Will NOT sell to a grouchy person.”

Jenna Roberts, the owner of Marvelous Macarons, said she had been been toying with the idea of finding a bigger kitchen for a while. When she heard about that space opening up, it felt meant to be.

She bought the business last month and Friday is opening day.

“It’s literally a dream come true,” said Roberts of Lewiston. “I’ve been in the baking world for almost 13 years and I have worked for a lot of other people. (I) started Marvelous Macarons out of my home, always having a store in the back of my mind that one day I would be able to pull it off.”

It wouldn’t have been possible without the Lewiston Farmers Market and the support a business mentor at Terry & Maxine’s in Turner and her family, she said.

From the new spot at 136 Sabattus Road, she’ll offer breads, pies, cakes, cake pops and, of course, macarons.

Roberts plans to change the name and is putting it to a vote during a grand opening on Saturday afternoon.

“It will either be ‘bittys bakeshop’ after my daughter or ‘Friends macarons and bakery’ after Friend’s Deli that my grandparents owned in Lewiston for years,” she said. “As far as the ‘won’t sell to a grouchy person,’ we talked about that a lot. She saved it for me because she really felt I was the right person. I am beyond excited … and I am very much looking forward to all the future things!”

AND SPEAKING OF MORE SPACE

Dirigo Federal Credit Union bought the office building at 2 Willow Run in Auburn from Maine Health Care Association for $450,000 in a sale brokered by Kevin Fletcher of The Fletcher Group at Keller Williams Realty, according to Mainebiz.

“We purchased it as a back-office space as we have outgrown our (operations) facility in Lewiston,” Chief Business Officer Nicole Mailhot said this week. “We plan to have staff moving in there in January.”

And, according to The Boulos Company, Wayside Publishing has leased 17,030-square feet of industrial space from Gendron & Gendron at 15 Gendron Drive in Lewiston.

Nick Lucas, Chris Paszyc, Jessica Estes and Claire Richardson all brokered the deal.

The Freeport company works with education materials and needs the space for book storage.

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