This week The Buzz is experiencing deja vu.
Like, hello again, Family Dollar.
After leaving the Promenade Mall in Lewiston to make way for a new Dollar General last summer, Family Dollar is moving across the street.
Lewiston Mall owner Jonlee Lewiston LLC received a city permit for a $150,000 renovation to welcome the new store in October. There’s no word on an opening date, but last week the mall received the permit to hook up the new Family Dollar sign, according to city records.
In bakery news
Remember that fire at Lepage Bakeries on Oct. 16?
The City Administrator’s October report offered a few more details about it than the newspaper had immediately after it occurred. The three-alarm fire started in a doughnut machine “from a build-up of food debris,” according to the report. “The fire traveled up the exhaust duct to the roof causing an estimated $25,000 in property damage. Fourteen employees were evacuated and there were no reported injuries.”
Also remember how Lepage Bakeries’ parent Flowers Foods sold the former Hostess Brands bakery in Biddeford several years ago?
So it had The Buzz doing a double-take when the list of new transactions from Malone Commercial Brokers last week included word of a 28,000-square-foot lease of industrial space in Biddeford to Flowers Baking Co.
Turns out no one’s firing back up the Twinkie machines there.
Broker John Doyon from Malone said Flowers has leased space in which to store baking equipment for the past three years after the building sold, but not all of the equipment went with it.
“They’ve had about 40,000 square feet there historically; it’s now down to 28,000 as they move some of the equipment to other locations, apparently,” Doyon said.
Maybe we’re there for the coffee and scintillating conversation?
Finally, a survey of 1,000 Americans released by Best Mattress Brand has found that Maine was the second-most punctual state when it comes to getting to work on time.
In fact, Mainers were on average arriving 12 minutes early …
To a job they apparently don’t like. The state ranked 42nd in job satisfaction.
Let’s see if we can work on that for next time.
Quick hits about business comings, goings and happenings. Have a Buzzable tip? Contact staff writer Kathryn Skelton at 689-2844 or kskelton@sunjournal.com.
Send questions/comments to the editors.
