AUBURN – After 18 years as a mainstay in the city’s downtown, Austin’s Fine Wines and Foods has been asked to leave.

And in its wake, the city is likely to lose two of its biggest community supporters.

Owned by Austin and Beckie Conrad, the specialty wine and gourmet store was given 30 days to vacate its premises at 78 Main St. on Jan. 7 by owner American Holdings. According to Chris Merrill, vice president of American Holdings, the 1,500 square feet occupied by Austin’s is needed for its new tenant, Gritty McDuff’s Brew Pub.

“I think (the Conrads) are great people,” said Merrill. “But I didn’t have much of a choice.”

American Holdings is renovating a historic building at the corner of Main and Court streets with plans to put retail in the first floor and office space on the second and third. Initially, Austin’s planned to expand into that first-floor space, which is adjacent to its current home.

But the Conrads stepped away from the project last spring when it became financially unrealistic. Merrill said that left him scrambling for a new tenant.

“When Austin’s backed out on us, we didn’t have another tenant in the wings,” said Merrill. “And we needed revenue for our debt service; this is a very expensive project,” he said. “We did exactly what we had to do.”

Austin’s had no lease.

Despite the shock at getting the eviction order, Austin “Audie” Conrad is taking a philosophical approach to the news. He said he and Beckie decided some time ago to take their lives in a new direction; several months ago he quietly put the business up for sale.

“It’s our greatest hope and intent that the business stays in the community and thrives in the community as it has for the last 20 years,” he said. The pair met with a prospective buyer Monday. They want a new owner who will maintain the store’s reputation and, if possible, a downtown location.

Audie said that after much soul searching, he had come to the conclusion that his heart wasn’t in retail any more, yet he remains passionate about the wine industry. So last summer he dusted off his resume and has it circulating “from here to Napa Valley.”

Beckie, too, is remaining positive. She said that without Austin’s next door, she expects foot traffic will decline and intends to close her gift store, Rysen, at 86 Main St. even though she has three years remaining on her lease. She said she hopes to continue her retail operation through its Web site, and may some day open another shop somewhere else.

Depending on Audie’s job offers, she hopes the couple will find a new home in an urban area that has a great mix of culture and commerce.

What won’t change, though, is her belief in livable downtowns. Beckie has been a tireless advocate for revitalizing Lewiston and Auburn’s downtowns, both as a businesswoman and a community planner for improvement groups, such as L/A Excels and the Maine Arts Commission. Last year she was named Auburn’s Citizen of the Year for her community involvement.

“What’s unfortunate about this whole thing is that the message to the community is that two pieces of the downtown revitalization vision are moving away to make room for one piece of that vision,” she said.

Audie said he hopes to negotiate for more than 30 days to leave his location.

“Now that the decision is made, we’re comfortable and at peace with it,” he said. “What we’re not comfortable with is the shorter timeline.”

Ideally, he’d like to have a buyer and a new location lined up so that the business can continue uninterrupted.

“I feel good thinking that we’ve been an integral part of the downtown initiative and there’s more to come,” he said, listing upcoming projects such as the reclamation of Libbey Mill and the new Platz office tower at Great Falls.

“We just won’t be here to see it to fruition.”