NEW CANADA, Maine — For half a century, Lake Road Grocery has been a fixture in New Canada. Now, it is thriving under new ownership.
Nicole Deschaine owns the business with her father, Wayne Deschaine, and her significant other, Andrew.
She heard the previous owner, Laurie Pelletier, was selling the store earlier this year. On a whim, she stopped in one day to talk about purchasing it — the day before Pelletier planned to close the doors.
“She was literally closing the day I came in and talked to her,” Deschaine said. “She was selling off her inventory. Things were rough, but I saw this wonderful place.”
Lake Road Grocery has seen plenty of activity since its May opening. It is the only store for at least 10 miles in either direction, making it a lifeline for many residents. But it also brings in tourists, campers and hunters, and an ATV trail drops right into its parking lot, so it’s become a hub for visitors.
Deschaine said both she and her father envisioned renovating and updating the store because they saw its potential. They took over in February, and got a rather unwelcome surprise.
A health inspector visited and gave Deschaine a list of deficiencies.
“This place hadn’t been looked at by an inspector in at least nine or 10 years, so it was a real coincidence that he happened to stop by,” she said.
The inspector’s list was long. The new owners needed to make major updates to every part of the store, including adding new wiring and plumbing. So they closed the store for two and a half months.
Deschaine, Wayne and Andrew managed all the work themselves.
“We’re very handy people. We did not hire out for anything,” she said. “There’s nothing that we haven’t been able to handle, right down to getting this place going again.”
Pelletier has also helped out with the transition process, Deschaine said.
Deschaine is from Connecticut, but her parents are based in northern Maine. When they separated, she and her sister would visit a few times a year to stay with her father and grandparents.
“I never wanted to leave,” she said. “This was always home.”
Five years ago, she had an opportunity to move to Fort Kent next to her father. Prior to that, she had two businesses in Palm Coast, Florida: a furniture store and a social painting studio, where beginners can explore art in an informal setting.
Before taking over the store, she served as an assistant manager at Hannaford in Fort Kent, Madawaska and Caribou.
Her experiences combined with the skills of her father and partner have helped them propel the business.
Wayne Deschaine, who grew up in the area, said working at the store has reconnected him with a lot of people from his past.
“We all have busy lives and everybody’s got their thing, but when you’re in a place like this you get to see people and chat a little bit,” he said.
Because the store draws so many people, Deschaine wanted to make sure they offered everything. In addition to snacks, homemade pizzas, lobster rolls and massive baked goods — including oversized cookies and pieces of carrot cake — the store also tags animals for hunters, issues burn permits for the town of New Canada, and offers ATV registration.
It even contains an upstairs apartment space.
Deschaine is particularly proud of the pizza, which is made in a New York style and has garnered glowing reviews from customers.
She envisions adding gas pumps and offering seasonal items, including pumpkins for fall and Christmas trees for the holidays. She plans to order a soft serve ice cream machine, build a deck, and add a window where people can order items from outside.
Throughout the process, Deschaine has shared new developments and offerings on the grocery store’s Facebook page. People have been supportive.
“The community has been so amazing,” she said. “We get people coming in and saying, ‘Thank you so much for keeping the store open.’ And it’s funny because we’re like, ‘Thank you for coming in and being supportive of our new venture.’”