The old Yankee Lanes bowling alley on Bath Road in Brunswick will be converted into the new headquarters for Harpswell Auto Sales. The Times Record file photo
Brunswick’s Yankee Lanes bowling alley, which operated for 60 years before it shut down in 2021, will become a car dealership.
The used-car dealer Harpswell Auto Sales purchased the property and will move its headquarters from Harpswell Island Road to the new Brunswick location. The Brunswick Planning Board approved the project Tuesday.
The 27,000-square-foot bowling lane building at 276 Bath Road is on 4.3 acres and is bigger than the dealership’s Harpswell location, allowing it to expand its service department and inventory of cars. The dealership, which is among the top five used-car dealers in Maine, also has a Lewiston location that will remain.
“We’ve been growing year after year, and we just needed a larger footprint to service our existing customer base and attract new customers,” General Manager Josh Osgood said. “We’re excited.”
The bowling alley building will remain and house the dealership’s offices and expanded service department. The parking lot will be expanded by 39,430 square feet to make room for the car inventory. Demolition has already begun, and the new dealership is expected to open around March 2024.
Osgood said the service department will be a big draw.
“We’re offering a less-expensive alternative to service in a franchise-like manner but without the franchise-like process and price,” he said.
The dealership currently has an inventory of about 400 cars between its Harpswell and Lewiston locations; Osgood said the bigger lot in Brunswick will allow for more cars.
He said used-car sales exploded in 2021 and have since cooled off in the last few months.
“It’s steady and consistent,” he said. “Car prices have fallen since 2022 but have been climbing back up the last few months.”
He said used cars remain attractive in the face of economic pressures like inflation on customers’ wallets.
“A lot of people are turning to used, and I think that, with a more expanded inventory in a better ZIP code, we can expand our offerings and audience and compete with the franchises,” he said. “We’re excited and looking to show the state a really good alternative to what people think used-car buying is.”
Bowling alley owner Nelson Moody sold the property to Gene Graffam, the second-generation owner of Harpswell Auto Sales, in the spring of 2022. Moody listed the property for sale in early 2021; the then-69-year-old told The Times Record he wanted to retire. Harpswell Auto Sales has been in operation since the mid-1980s.
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