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W W W. M A I N E B I Z . B I Z 19 A U G U S T 1 9 , 2 0 1 9 F O C U S G R E AT E R B A N G O R / N O R T H E R N M A I N E 'A complete 180' Jennifer Simpson, a photographer who owns a studio across the street, has witnessed the transformation. She recalls approaching Tanya Emery, Bangor's community and economic development director, four years ago in search of recommendations for downtown space. "At that time, Exchange Street was terrible," Simpson recalls. "Nobody walked down there. I said, 'Am I get- ting into a bad part of Bangor? What's this little random side street?' She said, 'Exchange Street is on the map for downtown Bangor.' She couldn't tell me what was happening, but she was like, 'It's going to be great.'" And it was. "What has happened in the past four years has been mind-boggling," Simpson continues. "In the summer, the Bangor Symphony rehearses with the windows open — it is so beautiful. I stand out there and it's, 'Ohh, this is so nice.' I see all these little children going there in the morning to take music classes. It doesn't look like this rundown, scary street anymore. So there have been a ton of little things. It's a complete 180." e turnaround continues, but it's indicative of a general resurgence and expansion of downtown Bangor, where developers are investing in unused, underutilized or dilapidated historic buildings and restoring and updat- ing them for a growing residential and commercial market. Jeff Perkins, CEO of Portland Pie Co., was similarly enthusiastic about tak- ing space elsewhere downtown. Perkins decided on a refurbished building at 91 Main St. for the restaurant chain's eighth location, which opened in June. "Our model is to go into the old downtowns that we love and that Maine has a lot of, and be part of that commu- nity and that revitalization," Perkins says. "e timing was right for us in Bangor and the location made it a no-brainer for us. ere were people waiting to get in before we even opened the first day. e traffic and people living near our loca- tion is one of the pieces we look at for our success. en you've got Darling's Waterfront Concerts and everything that's happening in that area, making it a destination, rather than just people going to work and then going home." e building Portland Pie now occupies was redeveloped by Abe and Heather Furth, who bought it and a connected building at 89 Main St. in 2012. e Furths started as investors and developers in Orono, where they own The Dunham Group takes what is... Building Business and Community for Over 40 Years The Dunham Group has a vision and a purpose. Dunham brokers rally ideas, people, and resources to create dynamic neighborhoods in and around Greater Portland. A vacant building becomes a boutique hotel. An Old Port office building becomes a vibrant retail block. Our brokers work together to re-envision and repurpose underutilized properties to create the places where you want to be. ...and imagines what could be. Portland, ME dunhamgroup.com 207.773.7100 Local Knowledge. Regional Focus. Global Reach. Let the ight be the longest part of your commute. FlyBangor.com C O N T I N U E D O N F O L L OW I N G PA G E »

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