Cresseys’ basket case makes them pack it in

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Several years ago, the day before embarking on an opening-day fishing trip to Grand Lake Stream, I inadvertently caused a bit of a furor in that fabled Down East outdoor haven.

My mistake: Referring to Kurt Cressey as the “outgoing proprietor of the Pine Tree Store.”

Perhaps I should have used the word “gregarious” instead. Before I arrived that morning, Cressey was confronted by a loyal local customer who said he had read that he was selling the store and moving away.

By that time, the rumor mill was running at full power, and most of the year-round residents of the town had likely heard the same thing.

At the time, Cressey laughed.

Now, with mixed emotions, I’ll share this bit of not-so-new information: In the coming months or years, Cressey may indeed become the “outgoing proprietor.”

Kurt and his wife, Kathy Cressey have put the Pine Tree Store up for sale. On Tuesday – the first day of open-water fishing season – the Cresseys took time out to talk about their decision.

Over the past 14 years, the Cresseys have become a unique part of the Grand Lake Stream experience. They greet customers like they’re old friends, tell stories, share fishing reports, and are heavily involved in community events.

Every small Maine town ought to have a pair like them … and I’d hazard a guess that few really do.

For the past several years, the Cresseys have operated the New England Basket Company out of their store, making traditional pack baskets during low-traffic months.

Now, they’re ready to spend more time on that business, and put the store on the market in December.

“The basket business has taken off so much, it’s just crazy,” Kathy Cressey said. “We never thought in our wildest dreams that we would be in this position. We have two very successful and we’re in the position where we need to just pick one.”

This year the Cresseys and their employees have crafted more than 1,600 of the baskets, which are sold at various locations including L.L. Bean, Wal-Mart, as well as smaller outdoor shops.

The Cresseys closed the store for the months of November and December last year to focus on basket-making, but realized that they’ve nearly reached their production capacity in the current situation. At the peak of production, seven people worked on making the baskets, and the interior of the store was transformed into a basket workshop.

“We don’t want one [business] to suffer for the other one,” Kathy Cressey said.

Her husband said that the daily toil of being owner-operators of a store was another consideration.

“I think there’s a shelf life to working seven days a week. We’ve been here 14 years, and what we don’t want to do is wait so long that we don’t want to open up the store, we don’t want to see a customer come in, we don’t want to spend any money to put products on the shelves,” Kurt Cressey said.

Both said that’s not the case now, and both love operating the store.

Still, they’re looking forward to the day when they can focus on their basket-making on a full-time basis.

“What we don’t want to do is make it sound like we’re ready to run right out of here,” Kurt Cressey said. “We realize it could take a year or two for the store to sell.”

One thing’s certain: When the Cresseys do sell the store and become full-time basket-makers, visitors to Grand Lake Stream will notice their absence.

Ice-out prediction

As the owners of a year-round business in Grand Lake Stream, the Cresseys perform a variety of duties you might not think about at first.

One of those: Unofficial ice watchers, who are relied upon by plenty of open-water anglers to let them know when West Grand Lake is ice-free.

Each year, they field plenty of phone calls from anglers in far-flung locales who are trying to decide when to head to the region at the perfect time for the typically hot early season fishing.

On Monday – the last day of ice-fishing season – Kurt Cressey headed up the lake and learned that winter is still holding on tightly on West Grand: He drilled holes through 34 inches of ice before spending the day waiting for fish to bite.

He will, however, offer a tongue-in-cheek prediction that anglers can take or leave.

“I’m predicting May 1 at about 2:30 in the afternoon,” Cressey said. “Give or take a month, I’m usually right in there.”

Cressey said potential visitors realize that the state has had a harsh winter, and haven’t begun calling him yet.

“Just about mid-April, that’s when we’ll start getting the phone calls,” he said.

Kurt Cressey does have a word of caution for travelers, as well.

“For those who are coming up from Bangor who think they might want to take the Stud Mill Road and then take the 42,000 or the 52,000 [road], I don’t see those roads being open for another three or four weeks,” Cressey said. “The best way to get here is the long way.”

jholyoke@bangordailynews.net

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