A Hodgdon general store that sells a famed steak bomb sub, wedding dresses and firearms — and is one of only a handful of moose weigh stations in the area — is up for sale for just under $1 million.
Laura and Geno Seiders own Seiders Variety, Redemption and Sporting Goods. Now in their mid-50s, they want to retire so they can enjoy their children and grandchildren. They built this tiny empire in Hodgdon starting with a bowling alley in 2018.
After Geno Seiders posted sale details Monday on Facebook, a long list of patrons began writing to him, he said.
Seiders is the second iconic southern Aroostook business to go up for sale recently. In late June, the 5,673-square-foot, five-story Town and Country Block building, home to the former Town and Country clothing store at the edge of Houlton’s historic Market Square, went up for sale at $750,000.
Today, Seiders Variety is a one-stop mini-mall of sorts along Calais Road with a growing take-out food business, convenience store, redemption center, hunting and fishing shop and big game weigh station. It sells gas, groceries, guns, ammunition, toys, clothing, hunting permits, pots and pans and candy.
“The whole lot is for sale,” Laura Seiders said. “We’ve had it for sale but haven’t really pushed it. Geno decided to do his own thing this week to see if anybody was interested.”
Originally listed for sale in 2024 through Northern Maine Realty for $1.7 million, the business is now listed with Maine Outdoor Properties for $995,000.
“We’ve dropped the price as low as it’s going to go,” Geno Seiders said. “If we don’t sell it at this price, then it’s just not going to be sold because we’ve got too much invested in it, more than what we’re asking.”
Many people have told them they don’t want to lose the store because they go there for many things. Whether it’s to come see moose getting tagged, tag their own game or listen to Geno’s stories, it’s a family atmosphere like an old country store, Laura Seiders said.
“People don’t want to lose that and they are worried it’s going to go away and they won’t have it,” she said. “I’m just hoping somebody might want to step up and take this on. There is so much opportunity here and they could do so many things.”
There’s a brand new sewer system at the bowling alley, and the couple is installing a vented system in the take-out kitchen for fried foods.
“Our food has taken right off here. We’ve got great business as far as sandwiches,” Geno Seiders said.
But even with nine employees, the work takes up all their time. Laura Seiders also works full-time with U.S. Customs and Border Protection. The Seiders, who own a home on Brackett Lake, have eight children between them and six grandchildren. They’re ready to relax more with family, they said.
“It’s hard to split yourself 20 different ways to do things,” Laura Seiders said.
The property sits on 3.5 acres and includes a residential three-bedroom, two-bath home, the variety store with a fully functional kitchen and busy take-out business, a full-service sporting goods section, a redemption center and gas pump, a bowling alley and mini-golf course, with additional space to expand.
The bowling alley was shut down during COVID-19, and they had to do something so they opened the redemption center and it snowballed from there, Laura Seiders said.
“We’re like a mini-mall. You can drop off your bottles, get your money from that and come in the store and buy a sandwich or some fishing gear or a toy,” she said.
In the winter they conduct an ice fishing derby, and this year they also started a summer derby. In the fall, people come from all over to tag and weigh their moose.
“To be honest, I don’t know what I’m going to do with myself, but it’s time for me to move on,” Geno Seiders said. “We’ve been married to the place for a long time and I just really want to see somebody take it and run with it and make it into something better than it is.”
