Bento's Closed (Houlton, Poland, Washington: to buy, luxury, schools)

[Northern Maine Land Man]

Another established store has closed in rural Maine. Bento's was a general store for over 100 years in Macwahoc. The names changed over the years, but it was always open until the last couple of years. It was at the intersections of Routes 170, 2 and 2A. It was centered in a sportsman's paradise with hunting, fishing, snowmobiling and ATV trails. The markets have gone and along with that, the cash flow.

Down the road, Winn General has closed. Crawford's General Store in Drew closed; both stores in Topsfield have closed and the store in Brookton has lost much of its customer base. In Springfield, Mill Stream Store and Thompson's closed. The general store in Cary closed. The Duck Trap, only store in Carroll has closed, but is open occasionally selling craft type souveneirs.

Caution: If you venture into northern Washington County, eastern Penobscot County and southern Aroostook, do us a favor; Stop in, fill up and stock up. It's a long way to the next store. I could tell you why this is happening. It isn't over yet.

We have 95,000,000 Amerians between age 18 and 65 not working. They are not starving to death. They are paid not to work by our government, That is three times the population of Canada.

[massnative71]

There is no longer any gas between Houlton and Danforth. No year round general store between Hodgdon and Danforth. A lot of the same services are still there but fewer and fewer people to pay for them, something needs to change.

[jonesg]

Demographics are changing, I just ordered some stuff off Amazon instead of going out to buy it.
Businesses that don't keep their ear to the ground and adapt are doomed.

[massnative71]

Originally Posted by jonesg

Demographics are changing, I just ordered some stuff off Amazon instead of going out to buy it.
Businesses that don't keep their ear to the ground and adapt are doomed.

The loss of these general stores have far more to do with population loss and economic decline than changing shopping habits. People typically don't buy gas, milk and fishing bait on Amazon.

[Northern Maine Land Man]

We had our ear to the ground in 1994 when Angus King declared war on Rural Maine. Six mothers sat around Robbie McKay's kitchen table in Kingman and formed a group called Unorganized Territories United. UTU grew to over 650 members. Angus was not able to shut down all the schools in the UTs. They published a newsletter. This was before the internet. The same groups trying to drive people out of Northern Maine were attacking fishermen on the coast. Helen Gordon was publishing Fishery Notes. People were telling Robbie and Helen about each other. They met and founded All Maine Matters, a monthly newspaper. It was about all of Maine and all of Maine does matter.

Angus and Roxanne have won some battles, but the war is not over.

[399083453]

Many gas stations have closed because they cannot afford the EPA mandate of new tanks. Typically a $125,000 investment. So they simply stopped selling gas, or just closed.

[Northern Maine Land Man]

Some spent around $85,000 and then the EPA decided they wanted double wall tanks. They condemned the tanks THEY had specified. That killed over 600 Mom and Pop country stores in Maine; over a five year period. The reason for the wide time span was that we did not have enough production capacity of tanks or contractors to install them all.

[wror]

No sympathy for a dying Northern Maine.

Every time a development that would bring jobs is proposed in Central and Northern Maine, the local Northern Mainers go into their Negative mode and say NO. A development would change Maine's rural character and Maine''s way of living would change.

Some developments that come to mind that would have brought jobs and an economy.
The Propane tanks Development was rejected by Northern Mainers
An East-West Highway Development was rejected by Northern Mainers
Poland Springs expansion has problems.
Plum Creek's huge luxury housing development was rejected.
The National Park ???

Northern Mainers choices: Developments or living in rustic Maine, on welfare and poverty.

Than, i believe, there are 5000 immigrants working in Maine's blueberry fields in northern Maine.
That is 5000 jobs for Maine residents 'if' your state welfare benefits did not pay them not to work.

[jonesg]

Originally Posted by massnative71

The loss of these general stores have far more to do with population loss and economic decline than changing shopping habits. People typically don't buy gas, milk and fishing bait on Amazon.

Might be because Amazon is smart enough to not sell gas, milk and bait.
They know what to sell and are doing it very well.

If its sad to see some old businesses go out, ok but thats just sentimentality.
I think the new administration has stepped on the EPA's oxygen pipe to make them back off on some of their nutty regs.

[Northern Maine Land Man]

"Every time a development that would bring jobs is proposed in Central and Northern Maine, the local Northern Mainers go into their Negative mode and say NO. A development would change Maine's rural character and Maine''s way of living would change."

That isn't us. It is the environmental industry. They took 425,000 acres out of productive use in Washington County. That is 19 townships. They extorted 99% of the land that Plum Creek owned and them cried when Plum Creek wanted to build one camp per township per year. That does not even replace the ones that are abandoned, collapse from the snow or burn down from lightning. The Plum Creek extortion resulted in a net loss of development as all of their agreements do.