THOMASTON, Maine — After nearly a year of organizing, fundraising and assembling financing, a community development group has purchased Thomaston Grocery and the historic Main Street building that houses it, preserving a downtown institution while launching what its organizers describe as a new approach to community economic development.
The Thomaston Community Development Corporation, which operates as Tommytown.org, completed the purchase of the business and building at 191-193 Main St. on Thursday.
The closing caps an effort that began after longtime owner John Vigue decided to retire and put the property on the market, creating uncertainty about whether Thomaston would continue to have a grocery store in the heart of its downtown.
For TDC founders Jonathan Eaton, Alan Blake and Seth Silverton, the closing represents more than the acquisition of a building and business.
“I think the three of us have managed to arrive at what’s actually a very important moment in Thomaston,” Blake said. “It’s a historic moment as well. I think this is the first example of a community supported enterprise in Thomaston, and it’s one of very few in Maine.”
Vigue opened Thomaston Grocery in 1992 after purchasing what had been Jameson’s Market. Over the next three decades, the store became a familiar fixture downtown. The roughly 6,000-square-foot building dates to 1874 and has the grocery at street level and four one-bedroom apartments upstairs.
The property was listed for sale in August 2025 for $1.35 million. The price was reduced in April of this year to $989,000. The final negotiated purchase price has not been publicly disclosed.
Eaton, Blake and Silverton were concerned that a conventional real estate buyer could have converted the first-floor commercial space to another use, eliminating a downtown grocery that can be reached on foot by some older residents and people with limited transportation options.
The grocery also draws people downtown who may patronize other Main Street businesses.
“We could be a food desert if we lose that store,” Silverton said earlier in the effort. “Let’s stop this threat to our town’s economy and turn it on its head. Let’s see if we can create a destination for Thomaston.”
Rather than wait to see who purchased the property, Eaton, Blake and Silverton formed the Thomaston Community Development Corporation, an independent nonprofit separate from town government, and made preserving the grocery its first major project.
One of the most difficult parts, Blake said, was developing the “business case” for the new operation and convincing lenders that the model could work. TDC worked with Coastal Enterprises Inc., a Maine nonprofit that supports entrepreneurship and economic development.
Financing for the acquisition came from Maine State Credit Union and CEI, along with assistance and cooperation from Vigue and contributions from individuals, businesses and organizations. Donations ranged from $20 to as much as $20,000. No local property-tax money is being used for the purchase.
With the closing completed, the challenge now shifts from acquiring Thomaston Grocery to operating it successfully.
TDC has hired Kathryn Davis as the store’s new general manager, while Vigue has agreed to stay on as a consultant, providing some continuity as the business changes hands.
“We will retain all the existing staff who want to stay,” Blake said. “We want to expand the business hours and be open on Sunday.”
Customers should expect changes, but the new owners say their goal is to improve the grocery without stripping away the qualities that have made it useful to local residents.
Blake said the grocery needs a broader selection to attract additional customers and strengthen the business financially.
“Even though it’s a small space, we’ll still have to broaden our offerings. We need to up the game,” Blake said.
That approach is consistent with what the founders have said throughout the acquisition process. Earlier plans envisioned improvements to the store’s layout, equipment and offerings, while avoiding changes that could make the grocery unaffordable or unrecognizable to its traditional customer base.
“We want to expand,” Blake said earlier in the effort, “but we don’t want to over gentrify things. We want people to be able to get the things they get there now.”
Three of the building’s four apartments are currently occupied, and TDC intends to complete the fourth. Rent from the apartments will help offset the nonprofit’s monthly financial obligations, reducing the amount of debt service that must be supported solely by grocery sales.
Thursday’s closing removes one uncertainty that has hung over the property since Vigue announced his plans to retire.
But the purchase also begins a larger experiment. After months spent raising money and convincing lenders that the community was willing to stand behind its grocery store, TDC now has to demonstrate that community ownership can translate into a sustainable business.
For Blake, Eaton and Silverton, that is precisely what makes Thursday’s closing significant: Thomaston did not simply wait to see what would happen to one of its downtown institutions. Residents organized around it, raised money for it and created an organization capable of buying it.
Now they own it.
This story appears through a media partnership with Midcoast Villager.