SHERRY HILTON, left, and Donna Lathrop have taken over operations at Maquoit Market in Brunswick, pending completion of their purchase of the business from the store’s previous owner, Dominic D’Alessio. Lathrop said the community was “mortified” at the prospect of the store closing, and that she and Hilton hope that interest can keep the Maquoit Road store a profitable business.
The duo recently took over as managers of the business that owner Dominic D’Alessio planned to close last Saturday. A deal that would allow Lathrop and Hilton to buy the business is pending.
According to Topshambased Realtor Don Spann, who owns RE/ MAX Riverside, the asking price dropped to $ 249,000 recently after Maquoit Market spent more than 200 days on the market.
On Thursday, Lathrop and Hilton were behind the counter, answering questions about the new management and handling distribution and licensing questions that come with transferring the business.
Hilton, who lives two houses away from the market, said she decided to pursue the owning the neighborhood store because she “ didn’t want to see it closed.”
“(D’Alessio) was going to close it down and residents were mortified,” Lathrop said. “Everyone was disappointed — people need this store here so they don’t have to go so far into town for things.”
Lathrop, who moved to Brunswick about a year ago from New Gloucester, said the response to the news that the market will stay open under their ownership has been received well.
“People have been happy to hear that we’re keeping the store open,” Lathrop said.
The plan is to keep the market operating as it was, Lathrop said, including the production of doughnuts under the “Frostd’s” name, using a recipe acquired from the son of Bob Frost, who founded the Maine Street doughnut shop Frosty’s, which is set to reopen with new owners before the end of February.
Lathrop said she can’t say when the sale would close but that she and Hilton will operate the store in the meantime.
Looking forward, the two hope to turn enthusiasm about the Maquoit Road store staying open into a sustainable business.
“We have our fingers crossed,” Hilton said.
dfishell@timesrecord.com
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