The success and recent expansion of the Freaky Bean Coffee Co. is good news – and not just for local caffeine junkies.

The owners of the Scarborough coffee house, Jon Stratton and Andrew Kessler, recently bought a Seattle roasting company where they purchased their beans. The two men are now renovating a building in Westbrook so that they can move the company to Maine.

In the two years since the Freaky Bean opened on Route 1 in Scarborough, the coffee shop’s comfortable couches have become a favorite meeting spot for many members of the community. On a recent morning, several members of the committee planning the town’s 350th anniversary celebration were meeting to get some work done.

The coffee shop’s success at attracting customers can only bode well for other businesses along Route 1 in Scarborough, which has been drawing a more diverse collection of businesses in recent years. Seeing the success of this coffee shop and other businesses along this key corridor could entice other businesses to move there.

In Westbrook, the smell of coffee beans roasting will be a welcome aroma in a downtown once associated with the odor coming from the pulping operation at the paper mill. Even a competitor, the owner of the Daily Grind, a drive-through coffee stand, welcomed the Freaky Bean to downtown Westbrook. The owner, Mike Wowk, lives a mile from the Scarborough coffee house.

“I’ve been there. I think it’s gorgeous. I’m excited,” he said.

We share Wowk’s excitement and hope that the success of the Freaky Bean means more business expansions are brewing.

Worth the investment

It’s remarkable the town of Buxton has grown as much as it has without accruing any debt. Residents will decide Tuesday whether the town should borrow $1.8 million to build a new town garage.

While many residents will likely be reluctant to borrow money for the first time, this project appears to be worth the investment. There’s no question the town needs to replace its existing garage, built in 1953.

It is only large enough to house four of the town’s eight trucks. The garage doesn’t even have a washroom for employees, who use an outside faucet to wash their hands, even in the winter. The roof leaks, allowing water to run into the garage through the walls. Public Works Director Lary Owen said after a recent storm he discovered waders hooked on a back wall were filled with water.

While the town has saved money to pay for projects in the past, borrowing money is the best way to pay for the garage. With new residents moving to town regularly, incurring long-term debt will ensure new residents will also contribute to the cost of a garage from which they will benefit.

Whether you agree with us or not, make sure you get to the polls and vote. The polls will be open next Tuesday from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. at Buxton Town Hall, 185 Portland Road.

Brendan Moran, editor