Housing
This section of the BDN aims to help readers understand Maine’s housing crisis, the volatile real estate market and the public policy behind them. Read more Housing coverage here.
Nestled in Prospect Harbor, a $335,000 Gouldsboro building offers buyers a chance to own both a ground-floor shop space and a one-bedroom apartment above.
This property has more than 2,700 square feet of living space and a full bathroom on both the first and second floors, according to Tacy Ridlon of Better Homes & Gardens Real Estate The Masiello Group, the listing agent for the property.
Located on West Bay Road and across the bay from Mount Desert Island, the property is a less than 10-minute drive to Winter Harbor and roughly 35 minutes to Ellsworth.
The building dates back to 1800 and once served as the town’s post office. It later became a real estate office, then a clothing boutique, until the sellers bought it in 2018 and transformed it into an antique store. At the time, the building still had the post office boxes left over from its prior use, Ridlon said.
“They’re a very interesting couple who have dealt in antiques for many years, first in New York, and then in Maine,” Ridlon said.
The sellers considered registering it as a historic building given its age and significance to the community, but ultimately decided against it, as the certification would’ve limited how the building could be changed and updated later.
The sellers also updated the living space upstairs to transform it into a “darling” apartment with views of the harbor from the bedroom and plenty of sunlight, Ridlon said.
“They’ve redone the bathroom and kitchen but it still has all the period details of the building,” she said. “The sellers made it what it is. It’s a great space.”
Since listing the property, the owners have sold off some of the antique store’s merchandise. However, if a buyer wants to continue operating the business, the remaining antiques — and the apartment’s furniture — could be included in the sale.
While the building’s lower level has served as a commercial space for years, Ridlon said it could easily serve as a studio, gallery, cafe or other use. The owner could live on the second floor or rent out the unit for additional income.
“It would make a great artist’s studio, whether they’re a painter, potter or even a woodworker,” she said. “There’s quite a bit of space and multiple rooms.”
The less than half-acre plot also includes a gravel parking area with a stone patio and gardens in the backyard.
The property was initially listed over a year ago for more than $480,000, according to Zillow records. The asking price was knocked down to $335,000 earlier this year.
While Ridlon said plenty of prospective buyers have toured the property and imagined how they would use the space, no one has submitted an offer yet. She credited this to the building’s unique layout and the slowdown of Maine’s housing market in the years since the pandemic.
“The pandemic frenzy could never sustain itself,” she said. “We need to find just the right person who has a business for themselves and can live upstairs.”