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L.L.Bean was once a small store

Between Black Friday and Cyber Monday is a day dedicated to supporting small businesses nationwide.

Last year, more than 100 million people came together to “Shop Small” in their communities on Small Business Saturday, according to American Express, sponsor of the event.

Believe it or not, L.L.Bean in Freeport, Maine, was a small business dedicated to the outdoor sports enthusiasts. Located above the post office in the triangle square was L.L. Bean – no fashion plate, but a place to buy gear and outerwear.

The business operated 365 days a year, 24 hours a day and served its customer base over the counter and by catalogue.

Yet, it didn’t need zoning requirements because it was in the commercial district and did not need extended parking lots because many customers arrived at odd hours – not necessarily retail hours – which made it unique.

Yes, it was small in the sense it was under one roof, from its displays to its print shop.

Back in the 1940s and early ’50s, small business was the key, and Leon Leonwood Bean knew the tricks of the trade, where he took cash and checks prior to the forerunner of plastic credit cards. Like other small businesses, he too had cash flow problems covering his weekly payroll.

My grandfather, Levi T. Patterson, and a friend would sit outside the old Texaco gasoline station in Freeport late in the evening and watch the traffic come through the town – some of whom call it the birthplace of Maine.

I would be in the back seat. My grandfather owned one side of Freeport’s commercial district; Mr. Bean the other side. The third side is unknown to me.

Today, Mr. Bean’s granddaughter, Linda, has her best Lobster restaurant on the commercial site once owned by my grandfather.

The 7,600-square-foot brick building is on the corner of Main and Bow streets. It was listed for $3.6 million, according to Greg Boulos, a partner at CBRE/The Boulos Co.

The property was sold by George Denney, founder of Cole Haan Footwear. It includes a 25-car parking lot on Depot Street.

Since my grandfather’s ownership, it served as a bank. When he owned it had a pharmacy operated by Phil Johnson, a retail store, a restaurant called Frankie’s and a rooming house on the second floor.

“Linda purchased the best retail corner in Freeport and one of the best in the entire state of Maine,” according to Mr. Boulos, who was quoted in the Portland Press Herald.

Times change, management takes on a new beginning and L.L.Bean does not look like your average big box store today, but certainly competes on the same level, with revenues beyond the outdoor sports person to serve each member of a family from clothing to sports paraphnalia to a host of recreational items.

So as we move toward the Christmas holidays, we should keep in mind the local businesses as they support our community goals, are our neighbors and in many cases willing to special order items for our own whims and fancies.

And yes, they are the makeup of Main Street America.

Footnote: When I was in college in Fairfield, Iowa, at Parsons College, fellow Midwest students knew of Thanksgiving and the Pilgrims but also knew of one store: L.L.Bean.

They couldn’t believe my grandparents were from Freeport and my grandfather and Mr. Bean were hunting buddies. And so it goes.

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Posted by on November 29, 2012. Filed under Opinion,View from the Tower. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry
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