BANGOR, Maine — A downtown Bangor market plans to close its doors by the end of the month, citing waning foot traffic and an increased competition for beer and wine sales.
Bottles & Cans opened in November 2014, hoping to serve as a convenient community bodega, selling groceries and beverages to downtown residents and workers. The model didn’t pan out, its owners said during a Friday interview at the shop.
Paul Bosse, who co-owns the business with his partner Stefania Marthakis, cited several issues that contributed to the failure of the business.
One issue was parking. Bosse said he believes too many downtown parking spots are occupied by downtown employees and not enough on-street spots are available for customers. Some customers aren’t willing to use the two-hour free parking in the nearby garage, he said, even though it’s only a short walk from there to his shop — one that’s not significantly longer than the walk from a parking lot to a grocery chain.
“If it’s not convenient, then we’re not viable,” Bosse said. The store also didn’t see the foot traffic it expected from people walking downtown streets. “Every foot counts, every dollar counts.”
Another factor was unexpected increased competition from larger stores.
When Bottles & Cans opened, it had a larger focus on grocery sales, but the owners soon found they were throwing away or donating a distressing amount of food that went unsold. So, they decided to scale back their food offerings and focus more on beer, wine and cider sales.
Around the time Bottles & Cans opened, larger grocery chains in the area started beefing up their offerings, adding more craft beer and wider wine selections. Bosse believes the convenience of having a vast selection of food and more alcohol options drew some people away from shopping for those items downtown.
“I thought we had this little niche in the market, but it went away right after we opened,” Bosse said.
The shop received strong support and patronage from owners and employees of other downtown businesses, according to the owners.
“They were our integral community,” Bosse said.
Gail Hipsky, a Stetson resident who owns 48 Main St., said Friday she has received several calls from people interested in the property, but doesn’t have a solid plan for it yet. She said she would like to continue it as a retail space.
The storefront will become available for lease May 1.
Also known as the Standard Shoe Building, the storefront has been home to many retail spaces over the years, most recently Frock Affair, Bella Luna and a short-lived antiques shop.
Follow Nick McCrea on Twitter at @nmccrea213.