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V O L . X X V I I N O. X I I I J U N E 2 8 , 2 0 2 1 20 FA M I LY - OW N E D B U S I N E S S J ohn Larson will be the first to say that Topsham Fair Mall doesn't fit the mold of success- ful shopping center. e 65,000-square-foot center between the two anchors is a lot more space than what traditional centers have. e ownership is split between his family and two other entities. Most notable to shoppers, there's barely a national brand to be found among its two dozen businesses. "We're not typical," Larson says. "We just do things the way we do them." And it works. e 200,000-square- foot shopping center has signed five leases this year, almost all of them suc- cessful Maine-owned businesses. ey join nearly 20 Maine-owned busi- nesses, anchored by Scarborough-based Hannaford supermarket at one end and Damariscotta-based Renys department store at the other. Sherman's Maine Coast Book Shops in April announced Topsham Fair Mall is one of three sites in its expansion this summer. Music Center Inc. is moving to the center from Tontine Mall in Brunswick. Cannabis shop Highbrow is expanding into the building recently occupied by Ruby Tuesday. A new business, aquarium supply store Corals Unlimited, is tak- ing Highbrow's unit. And Larson's company, Four Js LLC, is building a standalone 1,996-square- foot building that will be occupied by Jersey Mike's Subs. P H O T O / T I M G R E E N WAY TOPSHAM FAIR MALL: A functional family F O C U S C O N T I N U E D O N PA G E 2 2 » From left, Jeff, June and John Larson, managing members of the Topsham Fair Mall. John said the shopping center has taken an atypical approach to finding tenants. The family-owned property is a who's who of Maine-owned businesses, including new member Sherman's B y M a u r e e n M i l l i k e n We're not typical. We just do things the way we do them. — John Larson Topsham Fair Mall

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