The owners of the new On the Vine Marketplace, a premium food store going in at the former Dunstan School in Scarborough, are hoping the doors will be open by the end of the month.

Refurbishing the historic building, which was a popular seasonal restaurant for nearly 30 years, has taken longer than originally anticipated, with one of the business partners acting as the general contractor for the redevelopment project.

Originally, Abel Schultze and Scott Edwards, who opened the first On the Vine, in Exeter, N.H., in 2006, wanted to be open at the Scarborough location sometime in April.

However, with the finishing touches still left to complete, it could be another three weeks before the new store is ready to admit the public, Schultze said this week.

The store is “very close to opening, but we’re not there yet,” he told the Current, adding that “almost everything is done,” except painting, shelving and stocking.

On the Vine Marketplace features premium meat and fresh seafood, fresh local produce, an in-house bakery and coffee bar, wine, cheese and more.

Even though the opening of the new store has taken five months longer than many had hoped, Schultze said, the reception he and Edwards have received in Scarborough “has been great.”

“I can’t say enough about the town so far. The response has been phenomenally positive,” he said.

Schultze said 30 people have already been hired and they are planning to hire 15 to 20 more.

Schultze and Edwards have not changed much of the exterior of the brick-faced former schoolhouse, which was built in 1940 and served students in grades 1-8 until 1980.

Schultze said the only addition was a large walk-in cooler for storing produce, which was built onto the side of the building closest to The Abbey Catholic Book & Gift Store.

In addition, the signs that advertised the former Dunstan School Restaurant have been replaced with new signs for On the Vine Marketplace.

Other than that, not much has changed on the nearly 3-acre site, which comes with plenty of parking.

The Thurlow family, which also owns and operates the Clambake Seafood Restaurant in Pine Point, sold the former Dunstan School to Schultze and Edwards last fall.

At the time, a family spokesman said the restaurant had been on the market for more than a year and the asking price was $1.6 million. However, Schultze has not divulged how much he and Edwards spent to buy the building.

The two business partners are childhood friends, who combined their expertise to open the first On the Vine nine years ago. Schultze said one of the strengths of the independently owned and operated grocery store is the local produce that he and Edwards work hard to source.

Schultze, who grew up in Eliot, said it was his idea to expand On the Vine after the original store became well established. He and Edwards looked at possible properties in both New Hampshire and Massachusetts, as well as in Kennebunk.

But then their real estate agent mentioned that the Dunstan School was for sale. In a prior interview Schultze said, “We went down the next day and really think (the location) will be a nice fit for us.”

Also in the prior interview, Schultze said one of the reasons he and Edwards chose to come to Scarborough is because it’s a town that “can support a business like ours. It’s a place where people care about their food.”

Karen Martin, executive director at the Scarborough Economic Development Corp., said this week that the new On the Vine is “a great reuse of a Scarborough landmark and will give the Dunstan area the market that many have been hoping for.

“On the Vine will add an anchor to the growing Dunstan business community,” she said, as well as having the “potential to capture some of the through traffic heading on to Saco.”

Martin added that On the Vine “offering a selection of ready-to-eat foods” would be a boon for customers.

“Given the busy lives everyone leads, a little help at meal time is a good thing,” she said.

Schultze said he and Edwards hope to hold a grand opening event sometime this fall, “but we want to be sure we are operating on all eight cylinders before that happens.”

He said the grand opening could include a barbecue in the parking lot that would feature produce on sale inside the store.

In late July, Schultze and Edwards held a vendor fair looking for Scarborough area suppliers of produce. Schultze said their goal is to provide customers with as much local food as possible.

“We are huge proponents of buying local, as long as its quality goods,” he said.

For instance, at the Exeter store, the company has a supplier of honey that lives right next door.

Schultze said it would take time to build up a local produce base, but he and Edwards are always looking for reliable suppliers.

In addition to the vendor fair, Schultze and Edwards have also been accepting applications from those interested in working at the new On the Vine.

Overall, Schultze said, “I’ve been working a lot of hours to get this project done.”

The owners of the new On the Vine Marketplace have made very few exterior changes to the former historic Dunstan School, except for adding a large walk-in cooler.Staff photo by Kate Irish CollinsThe new On the Vine Marketplace is getting set to open at the former Dunstan School in Scarborough.Staff photo by Kate Irish Collins