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V O L . X X X I N O. X V I I I A U G U S T 2 5 , 2 0 2 5 20 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 F O C U S & Frederick's, established over 80 years ago, from Bill Sheehan. e move provides more cooler and storage space, plus a loading dock and a back-up area, allowing Burke to introduce do-it-yourself flower arrangements and design classes, buy in bulk and expand with a wider selection of cards, plants and artisanal products. e larger showroom includes partitioned floral settings such as a bridal room, sympathy room and living room. e location is easily walkable from the downtown and there's plenty of parking. "e walk-in traffic has been phenomenal," she says. "We're seeing 20 to 30 people per day now. And before we might have seen two or three." Boomerangs e downtown is attracting so-called boomerang- ers, Maine natives who left and have now returned. Annie Cutler opened Sunbury's, at 86 Hammond St., to offer wine, foods and kitchenware. She grew up in the area, went to New York City to work in film advertising and publicity and returned to Bangor to work in event management, then became vice president and chief operating officer of the University of Maine Alumni Association. e shop was a longtime dream and the timing was right. e store features Maine products as well as goods easily found in a larger city but not so much in Maine. Many people, she notes, move to Maine for quality of life and to raise a family. "But they still want what they had where they came from, like quality olive oil." Julianne and Andrew Sawyer opened Sawyer's Shave Ice at 173 Park St. to offer traditional Hawaiian- style shave ice made with a wide selection of tropical flavors. Born and raised in Bangor, they lived in San Francisco, where Julianne was a freelance writer and content creator. Andrew is a software engineer. In 2020, they moved to Maui, Hawaii, fell in love with the way of life and had Hawaiian shave ice for the first time. "ey serve it with ice cream at the bottom and a 'snow cap,' which is a drizzle of sweetened con- densed milk, on the top," says Julianne. Additional ingredients include a powder made from dried salted plum, called li hing mui, and toasted coconut shavings. e ingredients and the syrup concentrates come from Hawaii. Returning to Bangor in 2022, they started a food truck to offer the treat, operating June through September. "By the end of the season last year, we said, 'We should open a storefront,'" she says. Relocation Sandollar Spa and Pool moved from Brewer to 193 Broad St., a two-story building with big windows and a deck that work well for displays. ere's more room for hot tubs, saunas, even an "endless" pool with a "hydro drive" current for stationary swimming that customers can try. Jeff Simons, who owns the business with his wife Danielle, started working for Sandollar when he was 13 and his brother owned it. e business started in Ellsworth in the mid-1980s. About 20 years ago, it moved to leased space in Brewer. e couple bought the business in 2019 and decided Bangor was a better opportunity, thanks to more busi- ness traffic and the larger space — 17,900 square feet in Bangor versus 7,000 square feet — allowing them to show all of their sauna options. Sales are steady — 200 hot tubs and about 30 sau- nas annually. Simons says that, according to a market study, the majority of spa and sauna sales are within 10 miles of a dealers' store. Capturing the sentiment in the downtown com- munity, he notes, "People want to do business with somebody local." L a u r i e S c h r e i b e r , 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 l s c h r e i b e r @ m a i n e b i z . b i z » C O N T I N U E D F RO M P R E V I O U S PA G E r u d m a n w i n c h e l l . c o m BANGOR 84 Harlow St. (207) 947.4501 ELLSWORTH 140 High St. (207) 374.5833 Embrace the regional knowledge and expertise of Maine's Trusted Advisors. Serving Northern Maine with Client-Focused Legal Counsel Your trusted legal partners, close to home. With a strong presence in Bangor and a commitment to northern Maine communities, Rudman Winchell provides expert legal advice across multiple practice areas. Our client-focused approach combines regional knowledge with a dedication to practical outcomes that work for you. C O U N S E L O R S A T L A W P H O T O / L A U R I E S C H R E I B E R P H O T O / L A U R I E S C H R E I B E R P H O T O / L A U R I E S C H R E I B E R Radio reboot M ix Maine Media, a multi-media company in Augusta, expanded to Bangor earlier this year with the acquisition of radio stations WZON and WZLO from Stephen King's Zone Corp. The plan is to set up a studio and sales and marketing office in Bangor, says Jay Hanson, the company's owner. Jay Hanson of Mix Maine Media The walk-in traffic has been phenomenal. — Rhoda Burke Lougee & Frederick's Annie Cutler opened Sunbury's — a longtime dream — to offer wine, foods and kitchenware. Jeff and Danielle Simons said the move of Sandollar Spa and Pool from Brewer to Bangor provides better visibility. Bangor natives Julianne and Andrew Sawyer discovered Hawaiian shave ice in Maui, started a food truck and this summer opened Sawyer's Shave Ice.

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