PORTLAND — It’s billed as “A Maine adventure” and it’s finally coming to Portland.

After more than 60 years in Maine, Renys will open its Congress Street store at 9 a.m. Thursday.

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Renys employee Daniel Leaver stocks a display shelf Tuesday afternoon, as the new Congress Street location – the 14th Reny’s in Maine – readies for a 9 a.m. opening on Thursday. Photos by John Ewing/Staff Photographer

A worker puts up the Renys sign at the Free Street entrance. The store, which used to be an L.L. Bean outlet, may draw a good crowd of office workers during lunch time.

Shoppers will be greeted at the entrance with free merchandise such as water bottles and tote bags – one per customer – and raffles throughout the day.

“We think it’s going to be great,” company President John Reny said Tuesday. “People are buzzing about it.”

The store is Renys’ 14th. Its downtown location in the state’s biggest city makes it feel different from the company’s other stores, Reny said. “That just makes it more interesting.”

Big retail stores started to leave downtown Portland in the 1980s, moving out to the Maine Mall area. City officials and residents have long bemoaned the absence of a general department store on the peninsula, for basics such as socks and underwear.

Assistant Manager Jen Norton said that’s why she hopes the store will draw residents and workers during their lunch hour.

“It’s going to be a fun crowd,” she said. “It’s a place to get all their bare essentials.”

On Tuesday, about a dozen staff members stocked shelves, folded clothes and put the finishing touches on the 22,000-square-foot store. The store will carry name-brand clothing that’s sold at other Renys stores, including SmartWool, Life Is Good, Carhartt, Woolrich and Columbia. The store also has an extensive food and home goods selection.

“Everybody’s excited,” said Claire Beamis, the toy buyer for Renys.

Chris Jones, one of about 50 people who have been hired to work at the Portland store, said it has been fun getting the space – a former L.L. Bean outlet – ready.

“It’s great being a part of the living, breathing thing that’s going to be Portland Renys,” said Jones as he took a break from stocking duffel bags.

Daniel Leaver, another new employee, said he remembers shopping at Renys with his mother when he was growing up.

“I love working here,” he said. “I’m excited to see our work come to fruition.”

Staff Writer Emma Bouthillette can be contacted at 791-6325 or at: ebouthillette@pressherald.com

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