DEAR SUN SPOTS: Thank you for the many years of great service to our readers. What are the chances of a Market Basket store coming to Lewiston-Auburn? — John, Rumford.
ANSWER: Ever since Market Basket first opened a store in Biddeford in August of 2013, people have whispered about where the company might spring up next in the state. A March 2014 statement by the company’s operations manager, David McLean, indicated that more Maine locations could be forthcoming, and plenty of people think the Lewiston-Auburn area might be a perfect fit for the grocery chain. No doubt recent discussions in Lewiston about a proposed $12.8 million retail development near Maine Turnpike Exit 80, which will include an unnamed anchor 155,600-square-foot big-box store at the development’s center, is fueling speculation as to what business might move into the location.
It’s hard to say exactly what the chances are that a Market Basket could come to Lewiston-Auburn, but Sun Spots knows that the Biddeford location is the largest grocery store in the state, at 107,000 square-feet. The proposed anchor store at Exit 80 is almost 50,000 square-feet larger. Also, plans for the Exit 80 development show a gas station area adjacent to the largest store, which is not typical with other Market Basket locations in New England. A store of that size would require considerable planning and a fairly large space, so we’ll definitely hear about any such development long before any store would open.
Sun Spots asked Sun Journal reporter Scott Taylor to opine on the matter. Taylor has been closely following development plans in Lewiston-Auburn, and his response was, “I’d rate the likelihood of a Lewiston-Auburn Market Basket a 2.5 or three on a scale where 10 is ‘It’ll be cold tomorrow’ and one is ‘Hey Gang, Maine is getting an NFL franchise!'” Not such bad odds, really. Sun Spots recommends you continue to read the Sun Journal to be sure you’re one of the first to know if and when Market Basket comes to town.
DEAR SUN SPOTS: Love your column, as it is very informative. I have found information on different things that I did not know about and have also told friends about them. We are looking for the address for Read for the Cure for magazine orders. It was in the paper a while back, but somehow we missed it. Would you print it again if possible? We will be watching for it. Thank you, Sun Spots. — A Sun Spots Reader, Lisbon Falls.
ANSWER: Read for the Cure is one of many fundraisers that benefits the Susan G. Komen Foundation. The program allows people to download digital magazine subscriptions of many popular magazines via an app, and donates 20 percent of the price of each subscription to the foundation. There are direct mail subscriptions available as well, and 10 percent of those subscription sales are also donated. To find out more about the program and to peruse the hundreds of magazine titles, visit http://www.myreadforthecure.com/. The fundraiser is ongoing from now until December 2016.
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