It’s a two-Buzz week, with a two-word theme: cannabis and construction.
First up: Weed Mart Maine is moving out of a former ice cream shop and into a former pizza place on Sabattus Street.
Owner Vincent Gogan opened his medical marijuana storefront in the former home of BJ’s Dairy Treat in April 2020 after having operated Legal Peaces in both Lewiston and Auburn.
Gogan, who had been renting the space at 1459 Sabattus St., said Tuesday he was surprised to discover it had been sold about 45 days ago when he was served with an eviction notice.
“I got kicked out for another millionaire who bought my spot; they had cash, I didn’t,” he said.
He believes another cannabis store will be moving in. “That’s what happened to me at Legal Peaces,” Gogan added.
With little inventory available to rent, he said he found Stephen’s Pizza & Variety for sale just down the street and bought that property along with the name.
Stephen’s had been open for 35 years, according to its sign.
The current Weed Mart Maine will close by Dec. 1 and the new location at 1054 Sabattus St. will reopen in the next few months, as soon as Gogan is re-licensed with the city.
He’s planning to update the smaller building with new flooring and paint and eventually reopen Stephen’s Pizza there as well.
“I put my life savings in and I found a backer” to buy the building, said Gogan, who is concerned about losing customers to other storefront options during his shop’s downtime. “Once they find another store, they’ll stick with it; that’s what they do. They’ll come back sooner or later and I’ll have different customers, that’s all.”
A new building has been built at 726 Poland Road in Auburn. Daryn Slover/Sun Journal
ON THE CONSTRUCTION FRONT
Across the river in Auburn, two sizeable projects got underway in October, according to city permit records:
A new $1 million, 110-foot-by-60-foot marijuana cultivation building at 726 Poland Road and a new $1.5 million, 212-foot-by-60-foot marijuana cultivation building at 47 Goldthwaite Road, both constructed by B & M Developers.
Also among the commercial permits last month in Auburn:
• An $85,000 renovation at 730 Center St. for GFI Auburn Plaza Realty LLC that includes new partitions, lighting power and finishes.
• A $35,000 antenna and cable project at 34 Mine Road by Qualtek Wireless for Kory Norcross.
And among the commercial permits last month in Lewiston:
• A $150,000 renovation at 2 Franklin St. by owner Isaiah Magee that includes gutting the inside of a three-family home due to interior flooding.
• A new $80,000 project creating a 1,489-square foot laundromat at 77 Sabattus St. by owner Kim Bun.
• A $150,000 project adding a 64,800-square foot addition to a foundation at 855 Lisbon St. for Gendron Realty LLC.
• A $35,000 replacement antenna project at 388 Grove St. for Dish Wireless, LLC.
• A $65,000 antenna project at 532 East Ave. for SBA Communications.
Editor’s note: Kyle Bouffard was listed as the owner in the city permit applications for both 726 Poland Road and 47 Goldthwaite Road but later sold the properties. The Goldthwaite Road property is now owned by Bearded Delights LLC and the Poland Road property by Four Properties LLC.
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.
