For more than 30 years, Ingrid Perkins and Rick Gilbert have run Bangor’s European Market every Saturday morning out of their store on Buck Street, giving local vendors a space to sell crafts and food from around the world.
This week, Perkins and Gilbert are retiring and handing the reins to new owners, who will take over the market as well as their store, Ingrid’s European Imports, and the adjoining Sunnyside Greenhouse.
Under the couple’s leadership, the market — which is Bangor’s oldest farmers market — has gained a reputation as a hidden gem and a small-business incubator, serving as a launching point for chefs and artists who started selling their wares on the side and have gone on to run their own businesses full time.
The new owners, sisters Serine and Kari Steines, plan to continue operating the market as is and selling imported goods in the store, including many of the same German items that have been staples, as well as new Scandinavian products, according to Perkins.
“I want to thank all our customers for being so supportive of us over the years,” Perkins said, adding that she and Gilbert waited to retire so they could find the right people to take over and are excited about what’s to come.
For years, customers have visited the store at 117 Buck St. for imported goods like chocolate, jewelry and decorations, and if they’re lucky, an encounter with the couple’s German shepherd, Rex.
The Steines have been customers for more than 20 years and have already bought some new items to stock the store with for the Christmas season, Perkins said. The new owners start this Thursday, and Perkins and Gilbert plan to travel and visit family in Germany soon after their retirement begins.
That will mark the beginning of a new era for the business, which has grown since Gilbert’s aunt and uncle opened the greenhouse in 1927.
He and Perkins started the European market after being inspired by a farmers market they visited in Budapest. It’s open year round, with vendors setting up outside during the summer and inside the greenhouse during the winter. They’ve become friends with their longtime vendors, including several who have been with them for decades.
Local illustrator Sarah Creamer became a vendor at the market soon after moving to Bangor three years ago. Creamer’s mom, who’s from the area, suggested she talk to Gilbert about getting a table to sell her prints, greeting cards and stickers.
She’s seen firsthand the tourists who come through, as well as the locals who make visiting the market a weekly ritual.
“It is like a little hidden gem,” Creamer said.
Creamer had another full-time job when she first joined the market, but she and others have used it as a starting point for businesses that grew over time.
“They’ve had a tremendous impact, I think, on being a launch pad for a lot of small businesses,” Creamer said of Gilbert and Perkins. She’s now a full-time artist and works the circuit of art festivals and craft markets around the state.
Several previous vendors now have their own storefronts, including the owners of Dream Charm Bar in Bangor and Baked by Joy in Hampden.
“It was wonderful just being able to connect with Rick and Ingrid and the other vendors, but then through them, being able to feel like a part of the Bangor community,” Creamer said, adding that the group of vendors has become “like family” to her.
She’s excited that the market will continue after Gilbert and Perkins retire, and said she hopes residents will turn out to welcome the new owners.
Her advice for visitors? “Go early and come hungry.”
The market is open every Saturday from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.