It’s not a secret anymore! George Gendron is calling it quits after 36 years in the seafood business, but the store at 1292 Lisbon St. will not close. It’s already being converted into the newest location of Cantrell’s Seafood, which has locations in Topsham, Oxford, Jay, Rumford, Farmington, Winslow and Newport.

“It was time for me to pass the baton to somebody that I thought could handle the retail and wholesale business,” Gendron said Monday. The business will remain open as the transition is completed in the coming days and weeks.

The Cantrell and Gendron families have been working together for years, the men said, which should help make the transition easier. A new refrigeration unit was being delivered Monday, and there’s more to come as Cantrell said he plans to add more fresh fish in addition to the current offerings of lobster, clams and haddock.

“We’ll have swordfish, tuna, salmon, scallops, haddock, hake,” Cantrell said, pledging to source as much as possible from Maine fishermen and mix it up when other fish become available.

Gendron said the business sells between 5,000 and 7,000 pounds of lobster and 1,200 pounds of clams over the four-day Fourth of July holiday alone. He said the property will remain in his commercial real estate portfolio and Cantrell’s will lease the property from him.

STARBUCKS INSIDE TARGET?

The latest information the Buzz is getting from insiders is that there will be a Starbucks inside Target, as is the case with most of its stores, including the one in Augusta. Calls and emails to Target and Starbucks have gone unanswered. But it seems like we’re not alone.

Target is opening a “new” store in Lebanon, Pennsylvania, anytime now in a building that was also a former Kmart. Lebtown is a local, web-only media site that posted a story last week on the store’s opening. Monday, the website posted another story listing the grand opening date as Nov. 6, but attributed the news to flyers posted on the store. The same date has been mentioned for the Auburn store, but Target will not confirm the date.

According to Lebtown, the store there will have a CVS inside and a Starbucks. The corporate giants have a relationship that dates back to 1999 and a corporate story from 2016 states it has over 1,300 Starbucks cafes in its stores.

RUMFORD’S ESSENTIAL STORE

Rumford entrepreneur Derek Taber has opened his third business in town called The Essential Store at 142 Congress St., which he describes as having a general store feeling, offering a wide variety of merchandise and food.

Inside the 1,000-square-foot store, Taber said he has everything from bubble gum and Slinkys for kids to craft beer, bullets and grab-and-go food items for adults.

Taber said he asked people what they go out of town to get and he’s trying to bring it to them. That includes soaps, spices, sauces, teas, and a big hit was the frozen custard he brought in and sold out of quickly.

For now, Taber said he’s open weekdays from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. and weekends from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Taber also owns Hotel Rumford and Ralph’s Store. The kitchen at Hotel Rumford is supplying salads and sandwiches, but he’s sourcing artisan breads and baked goods locally, in addition to coffee and local produce.

MARCEL’S BARBER SHOP CLOSES

A fixture in New Auburn has closed after 59 years. Marcel’s Barber Shop closed Friday, but barbers Tina and Ernie are moving a block away to All About You salon at 41 Broad St., effective Oct. 11. Their phone number remains the same.

The building housing the old Marcel’s at 54 Mill St. is for sale.

The Buzz offers quick hits about trending area business happenings. Have a Buzzable tip? Contact business writer Christopher Wheelock at 689-2817 or cwheelock@sunjournal.com

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