A former retail building at a prominent location in Ellsworth that has been vacant for six years is about to open for business again.
Town Fair Tire is planning to open a tire store at the High Street location where Rite Aid closed in 2018.
The revival of the long-dormant property signals continued growth in Hancock County’s largest municipality, where recent retail development has been spurred by an increasing population and a spike in demand for affordable housing.
The company is looking to hire employees to work at the 260 High St. business, according to Cadient, an online hiring solutions firm. Town Fair Tire has nearly 120 stores spread across New England and in New York, including seven already in Maine.
The highly visible site is where Routes 1 and 3 split on High Street, the city’s busy commercial stretch where throngs of tourists drive though each summer. The property is owned by Deer Isle Management LLC, which was granted a building permit by Ellsworth officials in August to renovate the building for the “retail sales of tires,” according to city records.
Town Fair Tire will compete in the retail tire market in Ellsworth with Complete Tire, Tire Warehouse, VIP, Harmon’s and Walmart.
Workers were spotted making improvements to the building on Thursday, which prompted speculation on Facebook about what its new occupant might be. A few people joked that it would be another cell phone store, pizza parlor or Dunkin Donuts, each of which can be found at multiple other locations in Ellsworth.
