Surplus Store will close at year’s end > Downtown fixture to retain online site

The Surplus Store, a fixture downtown for more than 50 years, will close at the end of the year.

Larry Rose, president of The Surplus Store Inc., would not comment Wednesday about why he decided to shut down retail operations at the Main Street store-front.

In a statement, Rose said the Portland store would remain open and that the company has plans to expand its online shopping site, which is less than a year old.

“It is more efficient for both a retail store and the consumer to shop online,” Rose said. “At today’s gas and parking [costs], a package can be delivered to a consumer’s door for less money.”

The store, a family-owned Maine business since 1947, sells military and civilian outdoor clothing, camping and survival gear, and fishing tackle. It was located on the corner of Franklin and Hammond streets from 1949 to 1972.

The pending Main Street vacancy has left landlord Jack Donovan with mixed emotions.

Donovan, president of Coe Management Group, owns the Main Street building that houses The Surplus Store in Bangor. Rose’s store has been downtown longer than most of the other stores, yet the vacancy comes at a time of rejuvenation in the city’s core, he said.

The sidewalk-level site at 65 Main St. hasn’t been empty since 1928, when Woolworth’s opened up shop there, Donovan said. After the national retailer left in 1972, The Surplus Store moved in.

“That little beauty probably has brought in a million dollars” in rent, he said. “You could get everything there, from underwear to work outfits to gloves to fishing gear.”

Now, with the renovation of the former Freese’s building across the street into an assisted-living center on the upper floors and the soon-to-open Maine Discovery Museum on the ground floor, Donovan said he isn’t worried about finding a tenant to replace The Surplus Store.

“If there were ever a time in 19 years to have a vacancy, this is the time,” Donovan said.

What will replace The Surplus Store is not known.

Donovan said he has talked to a couple of people interested in the site, but is keeping his options open.

“I don’t mind keeping it vacant for a few months,” he said, as it will give him time to “spruce up” the 7,000-square-foot store with paint and new carpet.

Among the options Donovan said he is considering:

. Managing the property alone or taking on investors.

. Renting it to one business.

. Subdividing it into two or more businesses.

. Opening a minimall with several small businesses. Some, most or all of the shops would cater to children, the elderly or the downtown business community, he said.

Donovan said Rose was “hesitant for some time” about telling Coe Management what his intentions were for the store. The lease expired earlier this year, and Rose was paying by the month as he decided what to do, Donovan said.

On Oct. 1, however, Rose made his decision and gave notice, Donovan said.

The company’s Web site is www.thesurplusstore.net.