admin @ Tue, 2005-10-25 09:46
OAKLAND -- Downtown Oakland appears to have hit a trifecta with three businesses moving onto Main Street.
Two Waterville downtown landmarks, Jorgensen's Cafe and Maine Made & More, are opening a combined Oakland branch.
Meanwhile, Oakland Pharmacy -- owned by local Mainers who also run pharmacies in Fairfield and Unity -- has taken the place of True's Pharmacy.
The moves would plug all but one vacancy on the main drag.
"Downtown Oakland is really on the move," said Danny Bolduc, who owns the building that used to house True's and also the Higgins & Bolduc insurers next door. "There's essentially only one more space left on Main Street, right next to Oakland Pharmacy."
Oakland Pharmacy, which employs four, is a two-week-old addition to a small chain run by John "Bud" Savage and his son Shane Savage. Its chief pharmacist is Joe Norton.
The pharmacy's entry into Main Street ends a two-year vacancy since True's closed.
"That was the big thing, that Oakland needed a hometown pharmacy," Bud Savage said. "It was a good business opportunity, and True's had done so well for so long."
True's closed in September 2003, after a protracted battle with the state in which True's was accused of bilking the state Department of Health and Human Services of $1.3 million in Medicaid reimbursements.
On Monday, a steady stream of people was heading in and out of Oakland Pharmacy, though Norton said its first two weeks have been relatively slow. But the business has not taken out any advertising so far, Savage said.
Savage said people appreciate the personal touch, and want to avoid the effects of overworked and understaffed chain stores.
"Most people coming in here have been saying they're glad to see an independent pharmacy is back," Norton said.
The Savages also run Fairfield Pharmacy and Unity Pharmacy, formerly part of the Community Pharmacy chain, until Community was bought by Rite Aid.
The Savages' outlets have been in the news before, as victims of a burglary and an armed robbery last year. Savage said Oakland Pharmacy has several security cameras in place, as required by state law.
Oakland Pharmacy is likely to have new neighbors within a week, when Jorgensen's and Maine Made & More open in the building formerly occupied by Oasis Cafe.
On Monday, the space inside was already filled with products and looked ready to go.
"We're hoping to have it open the middle of next week," said Jeff Gordon, who runs Jorgensen's in Waterville. "We're mostly set up now. I haven't planned a grand opening yet. We're still finalizing details."
Jorgensen's will take one-third of the space; Maine Made & More will take the rest. Gordon's father, George Gordon, runs Maine Made & More in Waterville.
Jeff Gordon said he had been mulling Jorgensen's expansion for a while, but other candidate sites needed renovations. The Oakland location did not need that much refurbishment.
It will be a smaller version of the Waterville Jorgensen's, and not targeted at kids as Oasis was, Jeff Gordon said.
"The menu's not quite as extensive," he said. "We'll do coffee, bagels, pastries and a soup-and-sandwich lunch menu."
The remaining vacancy on Main Street is clapped between Higgins & Bolduc and Oakland Pharmacy.
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