The Art Guru is selling art supplies at a new location in Gorham Village, after closing earlier this winter in a former location.

Jeremy Greene, 42, owner of The Art Guru, started his art supply business in the fall of 2004. He left his former location in the Village Mall at 104 Main St. on Feb. 21 because he said the business didn’t support the rent.

He’s now located directly across School Street from the Jan Mee II Restaurant and just down the street from the newly opened Tree House Cafe.

Greene, who previously worked for an arts and crafts supply store in Portland, said students represent one-third of his business. It’s now handy to the Gorham campus of the University of Southern Maine. “Students love it,” Greene said about the new digs.

He said it was formerly the Bees Knees, which was a combined coffee and gift shop. “This has always been a funky shop,” said Greene.

His store is located in a historic building at 2 Main St., at the corner of School Street. Built in the 1800s, it was once a dry goods store and the R. Roy Redin Company, a stationary store 50 years ago.

Greene, who moved to Gorham in 2001, had first hoped to relocate to the first floor of the home he owns on State Street. The apartment was vacant after a tenant moved out last winter.

His home is in the village center zone and he had applied for a store permit. Greene said it would have required only a minor site plan review by the Planning Board. “It looked like the green light,” Greene said before he got a call from Fire Chief Bob Lefebvre.

Greene had even started stocking shelves in the apartment but town fire code thwarted his plans. “I didn’t think it was going to be an issue,” said Greene, who said the home’s first floor had once been retail and connected to the former flea market next door.

But the fire department said five years had elapsed and either a firewall or a sprinkler system installed throughout the home would be required.

His puppy, a golden retriever that was the store dog in the former store, missed the customers while Green was hunting for a new home. “He went through withdrawal for awhile,” Greene said. “He’s used to people around.”

The puppy will occupy a window seat in the store with a view of the square. “We’re on the sunny side of the street,” Greene said.

The Art Guru is open 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday; 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday; and closed Sunday.

Greene said in an e-mail Sunday the store phone is not installed yet, but he can be reached on his cell phone at 756-2434.

Gorham guru digs funky store site