Mainebiz

W W W. M A I N E B I Z . B I Z 21 JA N UA R Y 2 4 , 2 0 2 2 S O U T H E R N M A I N E development in Westbrook around 5 miles from South Portland "has enabled retailers to further explore the whole area." at includes even newcomers to the Maine Mall, at a time when malls across the nation are hurting as consumers increasingly shop via the internet, strip-center chains and outlets. Jordan's Furniture, of East Taunton, Mass., for example, opened a 120,000-square-foot store in July 2020 in the space previously occupied by a Bon-Ton department store. Less than 2 miles away, at 198 Maine Mall Road, the 118,000-square-foot- plus Mallside Plaza shopping center recently sold for $20 million after less than four months on the market, to Wood Hill Realty Associates LLC, whose plans include a parking lot reno- vation the property had been listed for $21 million. Malone, who handled leases at the facility for several years for NEGC Mallside BH LLC and brokered the sale on its behalf, said interest was strong. "We had three competing offers for the property and chose the buyer we felt was best-equipped," he says. "I had 90 days to sell the property, and about a week or 10 days prior to expiration of my agreement, I was able to find a good buyer that satisfied the seller. e pres- sure was on." Other commercial momentum SoPo's commercial development boom goes well beyond retail, with companies in various sectors investing in property and creating new jobs. Examples include Horch Roofing's expansion into southern Maine from Warren, via the $2 million purchase of an industrial building in South Portland, and PK Realty Management's plans to develop 30 waterfront acres in a former shipyard next to Bug Light Park pur- chased in 2018. "We were looking for almost three years for a property anywhere between Freeport and South Portland and Scarborough, and South Portland was super attractive because of access to I-295," says Peter Horch, president of Horch Roofing. He says the company has hired three people so far to staff its new South Portland office, "and I would love to hire upwards of 25 people this year," but knows that will be challenging in today's tight market. Among companies in South Portland for longer is ReVision Energy, which moved to the city in early 2019 from two sites in Portland. It has grown from 90 full-time employees in South Portland to around 160 today, out of 329 total. "When and if we return to full-time work in the office, we will definitely be considering an expansion of both parking and office space," says Fortunat Mueller, president and co-founder of the employee-owned firm. He says that while he hopes that will be this spring, he had that same hope in 2021. And as PK Realty Management works out its development plan, principal Jennifer Packard says she prizes South Portland's strong sense of community and "incredible and beautiful neigh- borhood cohesion." Evolving neighborhoods Back on Ocean Street, SoPo Seafood is among several new food-related businesses turning that part of town into a new culinary corner. Others include Judy Gibson, Chris Wilcox's upscale bistro in the former Teriyaki Exchange; Café Louis, serving Costa Rican and Caribbean fare in the for- mer RJ's Pub; Solo Cucina Market; and BenReuben's Knishery, opened by Graeme Miller last May in a for- mer hair salon. "I had always been dreaming of opening up a place like this, but to find this type of Main Street-like drag through downtown," says Miller. "It was just fantastic, and the biggest surprise of all has been how much of a community this area actually is." Restaurant-industry veteran Bill Seretta, executive director of Fork Food Lab, says he's not surprised by the influx of food businesses to South Portland, noting that "if something works, others will follow." Currently based in Portland's West Bayside neighborhood, Fork Food Lab hopes to relocate to a South Portland site in coming months. Like Myers, Barbara Konsin feels equally welcome at Nestled, a home décor store she opened on Cottage Road last April, selling vintage and upcycled furniture and curiosities, in an 800-square-foot space owned by DiPietro's Market across the street. She's close to David's 388, whose chef-owner David Turin doesn't feel threatened by all the new eateries in town, saying, "I think there's plenty of business to go around." But Turin, who opened his first res- taurant in 1983, has this advice for today's aspiring restaurateurs: "When you're making a decision to open a restaurant, try not to make it an emotional decision … Do your homework before you start." R e n e e C o r d e s , M a i n e b i z s e n i o r w r i t e r, c a n b e r e a c h e d a t r c o r d e s @ m a i n e b i z . b i z a n d @ r s c o r d e s P H O T O / T I M G R E E N WAY When and if we return to full-time work in the office, we will definitely be considering an expansion of both parking and office space. — Fortunat Mueller ReVision Energy F O C U S Barbara Konsin is the owner of Nestled, a vintage home décor and curiosities store at 382 Cottage Road in South Portland.

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