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V O L . X X X N O. X I I I J U N E 1 0 , 2 0 2 4 16 L E W I S T O N / A U B U R N / W E S T E R N M A I N E F O C U S Promise of vibrancy "is isn't just a win for us — it's a prom- ise of vibrancy, a nod to our heritage, and a leap toward an exciting future," Scott Berk, president of Norway Downtown, says of plans to restore the Norway Opera House's upper two stories. Norway Downtown is a commu- nity nonprofit and a Maine Downtown Affiliate, a program of the Maine Development Foundation's Maine Downtown Center program. e affiliate program helps com- munities build an organizational and funding base for effective downtown and neighborhood commercial district revitalization. Opened in 1887, the opera house was rebuilt in 1894 after a fire swept through parts of town. e building, listed on the National Register of Historic Places, has been a center for commerce and entertainment and a site for graduations, dances, theater and traveling shows. e structure is characterized by a distinctive clock tower and Romanesque arch. Owned by a succession of private owners, the town took possession in 2007, following partial roof collapse and rear wall damage, prompting street-level stores to vacate. e first story was stabilized and has housed several locally owned busi- nesses for over a decade, including the Raven Collections and a yarn and wine store, Fiber & Vine. e Woods Maine shop recently moved in and expanded its own home collection while curating additional home goods, says Samantha Masabny, who owns the store with her husband Rob. Former software startup executives in Cambridge, Mass., the Masabnys moved to Norway, started a luxury treehouse rental business, then branched into branded apparel. e opera house space fits their style. "Our goal was to highlight the historical elegance of the space and complement it with our design and aesthetic," says Masabny. Now the opera house's focus is on the upper stories. Earlier this year, Norway Downtown was approved for nearly $1.8 million in federal funds toward immedi- ate structure repairs to roof trusses, back wall repairs including window replacements and a new roof. at will allow internal scaffolding to be removed, opening up the perfor- mance and balcony levels. (Receipt of the money is pending.) Empty storefronts Berk, who is on the advisory council for Maine Downtown Center and vice president of the Norway Opera House Corp., also owns the down- town Café Nomad and is a partner in Fiber & Vine. Two decades ago, the downtown had a lot of empty storefronts. Berk bought the building for Café Nomad in 2003 and opened in 2007. "At the time I bought my building, Main Street was struggling," he says. ere's been a steady turnaround since then. e community worked to bring back small businesses that have restored storefront spaces and have been a driver in economic vital- ity, Carter says. "Now we are in another exciting phase, which is to reinvigorate our cultural experiences and opportunities here in Norway," she continues. "is region has a strong history of both industry and arts, which can some- times feel at odds with each other. We seem to be finding a way to honor our history while also leaving space to evolve and grow as new community members and new ideas emerge." Says Berk, "It's one of those things that's taken a lot of years and a lot of work. A lot of things seem to be com- ing together right now." Lights on at Lights Out In addition to the opera house, that includes development of Lights Out Gallery, a nonprofit arts hub led by three Maine natives — Reed McLean, Daniel Sipe and Karlë Woods. ey're working to convert a 15,000-square-foot building at 10 Tannery St. into a multi-use space to include a gallery, dance studio, artist's studios, and additional working and display spaces. Sipe, 31, is a political organizer by trade. McLean, 28, and Woods, 27, are artists. In the winter of 2020, they started a project to make video interviews of Maine artists in their studios and broadcast them through Instagram and YouTube channels. "We were bored during the pan- demic," Sipe says. "We had lost our jobs." When it became apparent that the videos — over 80 of them, since donated to Colby College's digital archives — were gaining attention, the trio started throwing pop-up art shows, which also proved a success. Last year, they bought a dilapi- dated century-old former snowshoe factory in downtown Norway, once known as the Snowshoe Capital of the World, according to the Norway Historical Society. "We bought it for Reed's studio — it was cheaper to buy it than paying rent on a studio," says Sipe. "But it's 15,000 square feet, which is huge." Realizing there was a need for a central community location where art- ists could gather, work and collaborate, they hit on the idea of redeveloping the property for the larger good. e nonprofit built a board of direc- tors and advisors; pulled in volunteer labor, donations of money and goods, and construction and programming grants; and set up a Go Fund Me cam- paign to fund roof replacement. » C O N T I N U E D F RO M P R E V I O U S PA G E Now we are in another exciting phase, which is to reinvigorate our cultural experiences and opportunities here in Norway. — Sarah Carter Norway Select Board I always hear from people looking for space on Main Street, so they rent very quickly. — Scott Berk Norway Downtown P H O T O / C O U R T E S Y, S A R A H C A R T E R P H O T O / C O U R T E S Y, N O RWAY D OW N T OW N Sarah Carter, a Norway Select Board member, says efforts of local organizations, the community and town government have been able to not only save Main Street, but help it thrive. Scott Berk, president of Norway Downtown

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