BANGOR, Maine — Mr. Paperback, a bookstore chain that has been a fixture in Maine for 50 years, will be closing and its sister company, Magazines Inc., will be bought out, an owner of the companies said Friday.
Mr. Paperback’s 80 employees and Magazines Inc.’s 40 employees will be laid off, co-owner Penny Robichaud said. The companies notified their staffs on Wednesday.
“Business is not great. It seemed like it might be a good time to get out,” said Mr. Paperback General Manager Jim McCree. Both companies will cease operation by the end of April.
Mr. Paperback has 10 stores in Maine, with locations in Augusta, Bangor, Belfast, Caribou, Dover-Foxcroft, Ellsworth, Farmington, Presque Isle, Skowhegan and Waterville.
Magazines Inc., which distributes magazines and newspapers in the state, is based in Bangor.
Mr. Paperback and Magazines Inc. are separate companies, but are owned by the Foss family — Robichaud and her siblings Ralph Foss and Pamela Williams.
Robichaud said they are still in negotiations to sell Magazines Inc. to Hudson LLC., based in Worcester, Mass. The company would take over Magazines Inc.’s clients, and move distribution to a Gorham facility. Hudson LLC has no interest in taking over Mr. Paperback, she said, so the bookstores will be liquidated.
“We’re all just wrapping our heads around this this week,” said Robichaud.
“It’s painful,” said McCree. “Over the years we’ve had an extremely dedicated staff — smart people, faithful people. I can tell you it’s been extremely hard on the Foss family.”
Robichaud said changes in the book industry and finances were the reasons for closing.
“It’s due to gas prices and a changing industry — Amazon, the Internet, Kindle — people don’t need the printed materials as much as we used to,” said Robichaud.
“Most of us know that the book business and anything in print is not a particularly healthy place to be,” McCree added.
The companies were started by John and Evelyn Foss in the 1960s and later handed down to their four children. Robert Foss retired, leaving Ralph Foss, Robichaud and Williams in charge.
“I will say I worked with this family for 18 years. They’re very honest and they’ve very ethical,” said McCree. “They want to go about it the right way instead of bailing out and owing a lot of money.”
Robichaud said she’s sad to have to lay off employees of the companies, some of whom she grew up with.
“I’m very concerned about all the employees,” said Robichaud. “We want to make sure they’re going to be OK, because they’ve been loyal to us. We’ve had an awesome staff.”
A rapid response team will be brought in to help train former employees and get them new jobs, said Robichaud.
The announcement comes less than a year after Borders, a national bookstore chain, closed 399 locations, including three stores in Maine and Waldenbooks in Auburn.
McCree said Mr. Paperback stores will start going-out-of-business sales beginning in March.
“There’s a lot of work to closing down and getting rid of everything,” said Robichaud. “We’re going to pay off all our bills and walk out with our heads up.”
Mr. Paperback was still open?
Exactly. They haven’t done meaningful advertising in YEARS. The parents knew better.
Airport Mall in Bangor
Can’t blame this on the union
Time to plant gardens, go back to the old ways of saving our money, providing for our families, and stop spending our hard-earned money at the big chains where it immediately leaves the state. We will find ourselves alone in the dark up here in Maine if we allow this progression of events to continue the way it has been. Buy local! Support Mainers!
Hear hear!
Yeah unfortunately its just another company facing hard times.
http://www.dailyjobcuts.com
Please go away. Wherever the hole you live in is located, please go back there and stay there. You don’t want to buy at chains? And when those chains close, let me guess, you’ll be another on here who blames LePage when those jobs leave too?
So I guess if Mr. Paperback was a big success and they opened stores in a bunch of other states and became, you know, one of those big box stores, I guess you wouldn’t have shopped there?
Hear that everyone. letsbehonestforonce wants us to only shop at unsuccessful business that will dry unless we support them for the lone reason that they aren’t big box stores. Some mom and pop stores are great. Others aren’t and those that aren’t do not deserve my business. Wal Mart employs at lot more people than anyone I know and most of the things I buy there are because they can’t be found elsewhere or because it saves me money. If you want to not have things you need and if you want to pay more for them, go right ahead, for once.
Good Lord…
The point that ALL of your money goes out of state….I’m guessing that’s not an issue for ole’ Dale (Jr.)
I wish Bangor Slots/Card Dealership across from Paul Bunyan was owned by the Native Americans for the same reason, the profits wouldn’t go to some syndicate a long ways away…
Funny how we supported the big money on that issue (unless you consider the millions spent on commercials about how without slots/gambling tables all of the horses/farms/veterinarians etc would all go out of business.) What a bunch of saps we are…..
Not ALL of my money goes out of state. First of all, those stores employ people who make money that they take back to the community. Second of all, those stores pay huge property taxes. Thirdly, those stores help bring money to the community. When I go to Bangor to go to a “box store” I get lunch at Govs, or the Coffee Pot or some other local places that employs locals.
Those stores pay “huge property taxes”??? Who are you kidding? Wal-Mart usually won’t even come to a place unless they are given HUGE tax breaks … which they don’t need!!
Rockland is losing almost 200K a year in property taxes because the local Wal Mart is moving to Thomaston. Only 3 other tax payers paid higher taxes in Rockland.
But I’m sure in your Elitist world, 2ooK is no big thing.
Wal-Mart employees part timers, who they put out of work by forcing factories to move overseas. Get you facts straight. Wal-Mart put more people out of work then they will ever employ…
It is not politically correct to post this but I will. When I am in Walmart I see a large amount of people working there who really dont appear to be employable in other types of positions.
I believe those folks are called democrats.
Dale, the only reason that Walmart is successful is because the sell cheap merchandise and they sell it cheaply. By doing so and focusing on price rather than quality, they have helped create a climate where people who worked making quality goods in this country have been put out of business by companies like Walmart bying cheaply made copies made in thrid world countries for pennies on the dollar. With customers always looking for the cheapest price (and not being able to tell good from bad most of the time) they drew customers away from those other retailers, closing them down, putting their employees out of work and reliant on the cheap prices for cheap goods at Walmart.
You say Walmart employs a lot more people than anyone you know-you need to broaden your range of acquaintences. They also employ mostly part-timers at low wages and no benefits. Many of thos part-timers used to work for regional and local businesses and had good salaries and good benefits until Walmart came a-calling. Now the circle is almost complete. Walmart and companies owned by the likes of the Koch brothers have created an employment nightmare so that they can control the workforce as well as what they buy and where they buy it. People like you need to wake up and realize what this has done to our country and what it will continue to do if allowed to operate unchecked. As I type, they are making every effort they can to BUY our government so that they can make the rules for the rest of us.
Also, buying “Made in China” makes that anti-freedom, police state stronger and stronger.
I rarely shop at Wal Mart. I find the store disgusting and the only people more gross than the employees of Wal Mart are the majority of the customers. But I’m not going to pay up the ying yang for things like Diapers just so I can claim they came from somewhere that wasn’t Wal Mart. But trust me, I’m not the one keeping them in the business. I don’t buy groceries there, I don’t buy toys there. I don’t Christmas shop there. Nothing they sell is going to be of any interest to people I shop for. But Paper Towels, Soaps, Detergent, Developing Photos, Occasional Electronics that are going to be the same electronics being sold anywhere else. I buy very few things made in China as plastic is not a preferred decorating item in my house.
I’m not a big supporter of Wal Mart but they are number one because of their customers who happen to be American not because of anything else. You can blame the Koch brothers and I’m sure Republicans but the bottom line is Wal Mart brings goods that customers want to customers for low prices. I prefer to get in and get out when I go there but there are a large number of Mainers and Americans who treat the place like an Amusement Park and spend half the day there. Some peoples principles keep them from shopping there but it is doubtful there will ever be enough of those people to slow Wal Mart down. I got to the Ellsworth Wal Mart and I see the same people there all the time that are working there. Anyone who goes to the Ellsworth store surely knows the bald guy with the glasses who works the register. No way is that guy a part time worker. He is there every time I ever go there. I don’t know what he is being paid but I’m sure he is free to go if he wants to find employment elsewhere
While some of your points are valid, low paying jobs, part time jobs and selling a lower quality product are on the money, you fail to realize the true reason why most Americans shop at places such as Wal-Mart. The bottom line is money. Maine has some of the lowest wages in the country with some of the highest cost of living. Where are you going to buy your products if you can barely afford to heat your house. People are generally smart enough to look for the sales and where they can get the best buy. The problem with some of the smaller stores is that they forget what the people of Maine actually make for an hourly wage. Try going shopping down in Bar Harbor, Casco Bay, or Kennebunk…the prices will scare the heck out of ya. They tend to charge so much to get from the Tourists that have money to actually take a vacation, and forget that the people that live here shop too. I dont disagree with you that the Big companies are just getting bigger, and sending a lot of jobs overseas in product manufacturing, but the bottom line is in order to have money to spend in this country we have to have wages high enough to make a decent living.
I have lived in this area since 1970 when I arrived to go to UMO. I do not blame Gov. LePage for problems created by individuals or the public. I am saying the structure of business in Maine is the problem. Big boys take our money out of state. We were fine before the big boys came in and made the rules. I never said you should shop at mom and pop stores that you don’t like. I’m all for competition, but I’m also for opportunity. Try and set up shop on Stillwater Avenue or Hogan Rd. and come back and let us all know what you learn.
Set up shop? Not sure what that means? You can’t set up a hot dog cart in Acadia National Park either and that has nothing to do with Wal Mart or any box store. You can’t do anything in Maine without a permit or a license and again, neither have a thing to do with Wal Mart.
If you have some prevalent info about Hogan Road that I should know, why don’t you share it instead of beating around the bush?
If you or anyone else wants to put Wal Mart out of business, go for it. Look around the area you choose to live in. As I said in my previous post, a good number of folks in this area think Wal Mart is the place to be. Why don’t you go ahead and offer products these rednecks like for lower prices with perhaps more filth and put Wal Mart right out of business..
The Walton family has made a fortune selling products that Americans want to American consumers. All the while trying to make as much money as possible. Oh the humanity.
… some more short-sightedness … probably use the self-checkouts at Wally World too, laying off just one more American.
Actually the Self Checkouts and lack of cashiers is what I blamed the closing of the Ellsworth Lowes on. But thanks for asking.
Not one business is immune to Amazon. In 1o years even WalMart will probably be gone. One reason for Amazon’s success is their customers do not have to pay sales tax. That gives Amazon a 6% advantage right off the top. Congress could change this, but hasn’t.
When people complain that they miss WalMart we will know that we are in the presence of a very evil force:Amazon.
Yah thats what I was thinking as I was riding in my toyota car, after I stopped by and put a pair of new Goodyear tires on my car from VIP. Then I headed over to the store and bought some freash oranges – to eat while I sit on my sofa watching my TV – Yah I really dig this made in the US thing – so where do I find out where my stuff is made from?????
Toyota makes more cars in the USA then GM does..
Do you think I do not know that – all with Japanises, chinese and forign parts with profits returnong to Japan. Boy, you don’t know your facts
Toyota built motors in CA for years until the unions closed them down…elsewhere in the US They employ thousands with high paying jobs (non Union) in this country .. Not like minium wage part time wally world jobs.
I think you need a economics lesson on Toyota – so have fun typing and serching the interent on your Chinese made computer – that was bought in the US
I have changed my mind about the chinese. They are a brutal people. ‘Baking live dogs, skinning animals alive, cutting off skark finn and throwing them back into the water. Killing the dolphin, killling the whale and the black bear. No more sales on ebay for foreigners.
I woudn’t say no sales to foreigners – but I would limit my sales to countries who morals are simmiler to yours. For example, Canada, England, Isreal, Iceland – the list goes on. But I agree with you that if people don’t aggree with a countries lifestyle – then we need to buy elsewhere and FORCE our goverment to also do the same – for if we refuse to buy chineese stuff, the chinnese made stuff will then have to move on to another country.
You also need to be aware that if the item is made or grown in china then packaged here its classified as made/pacaged in the US. – I think we need to follow Canada’s lead here – made or grown in China – packaged in Canada – the lable then read made in China. The US manufacturers are just trying and doing a good job at it – the american people.
http://allusaclothing.com/
That’s one someone sent me around Christmastime. I’m sure you can search online (intentionally went back and changed verb google) for others or just go to the corporate websites of the products you buy and see where they have a presence (offices, retail, manufacturing). Good luck! I haven’t been in a mall in years and do not miss it a bit. Get real! Get Maine! is more than a slogan for ME/me.
Wow, I thought book stores were going out of business because the computer age has made all those forward thinking businesses digitize content and those left over die out. I must be dumb. Anyone know where I can buy a buggy whip?
Its right next to the blacksmith shop, two doors down from the coopers. By the way, can you tell me where I can buy a new rotary phone?
Service Merchandise.
another sad chapter in the history and demise of our country……….third world ……….here we come.
Noooo, the Belfast store was a great place to rent books on tape (actually CDs)……… Bummer. A sign of the times and things to come ….. The information age is a cruel master ….
so very sorry about this. We shop at the Dover-Foxcroft store each week and buy all our books there. They order books for us and are wonderful – it will be loss to the community.
So sad, although I can often buy a used book from Amazon for the price of a gallon of gas. I believe the printed page will prevail in the end. When the electricity is out, you can curl up with a book, a kerosene lamp and good book and be entertained for hours. I also read more meditatively with a printed book than on my computer.
Many thrift stores have books that have been read only once for less than a dollar. I find great books that way and if I want a specific book I do what you do and look on Amazon or Ebay. The average person has limited income and must cut the corners anyway they can. With gas prices and oil prices so high and wages so low……. I am reading MerryMen at the moment.
The library is free, unless you forget to return it, I rarely shopped at Mr Paperback because their prices were always so high. Its sad because I like to support local business but when it is far out of my price range I cannot do that.
:( A lot people losing jobs, to say your going to help people train for jobs? my dad works there and is 55 and in poor health. I am very worried he is not be able to find work.
I stopped going to Mr. Paperback when ordering books online became popular. With the lower prices that the big book sellers offer and the convenience of shopping for books at home, Mr. Paperback didn’t stand a chance. I do feel sorry for the employees though.
I am really going to miss the Ellsworth Mr. Paperback store. Extremely nice people on staff there.
Isn’t Mr. Paperback the only bookstore in Ellsworth? My son worked there while he was in high school, summers, vacations, and even while home from college. They were so accommodating to his busy schedule, including baseball. Very sad to see them go.
yeah i work at the cafe and my girlfriend at The bookstore the nearest bookstores now are bangor and calais
There’s a great independent bookstore in Bucksport, Book Stacks. They know their stuff. If they don’t have it in stock, they’re happy to special order!
You have a computer, surely you have heard of Amazon.com. Nothing wrong with buying it from Book Stacks but most people settle for the convenience of ordering it from home and having it brought straight to them. Most people don’t want to have to make 2 trips to a store to get a book when the alternative is no trips. That is why these places are going out of business. Sad but it has been happening in this country for centuries.
There’s another bookstore in Ellsworth, it’s on Main St. downtown. Mike Curtis owns it.
That place went out of business years ago. It is a toy store now.
The Union River Book and Toy Store on Main Street actually has a huge and quite nice selection of children’s books, but -alas!- nothing really for adults. :(
The toy store went out of business years ago, it’s now a book store with children’s items. More books than toys.
Not sure what happened to my post about Mike Curtis being a slum lord. The BDN doesn’t like the truth?
I think there’s a used book place on 1 headed downeast. I know that’s not the same.
yes the chicken barn
There is one coming up out of Ellsworth past Jordans Snack Bar right as you cross into Hancock as well as the Chicken Barn that another poster mentioned.
There’s always Walmart!!! (Or Mardens, for the remainders). Also, Hannaford has a terrific romance paperback department, so what is everyone concerned about!
Same with the Belfast and Airport Mall stores. I usually make my purchases at Bookstacks in Bucksport but always enjoyed browsing the aforementioned stores.
There go more jobs, Governor!!!! Guess your not keeping your campaign lies very well!!! USPS and Mr. Paperback all in one week. Hope you are enjoying your Washington junket!!
This has nothing to do with the current governor or the previous one. The problem with both the USPS and Mr. Paperback is that they failed to keep up with the digital age, and now they’re paying the price. Hard copy is far more expensive to print and distribute than electronic dissemination. I stopped using the PO a long time ago to pay my bills. I pay everything on line. I think a lot of people are like that.
So what does that mean for the paper mills?
Somehow I can’t envision digital toilet paper
You mean I can’t get a digital quilted quicker picker upper?
There are 3D modeling printers using lasers and resin? Not sure the material, but maybe we’ll be putting in woodchips and getting out toilet paper out from our printers some day.
Don’t give the green party any ideas. I like paper toilet paper just fine.
Have you tried spent corn cobs or pigeons, moving with the feathers ?
No but it is a sign of how often he opens his mouth before thinking, anyone who wants to Govern this state should be well aware of the industries and businesses small or large. Mr Paperback is no stranger to this state for one. The Governor should not be boasting we are open for business when Global Contact closed, the USPS (well you didn’t hear him saying much about that) and some Lowes stores closed and I know some people who recently lost their jobs this week but the business is too proud to talk to the media.
Is this the Governors fault? No you are right there, but he certainly has a sign he should take down, especially after taking money for job creation after bragging the state has plenty of them.
LePage seems to lack insight. Fails to think outside of his little box.
On a Smaller scale, he is like Obama, isn’t he?
Actually no. I doubt LePage ever voted “present” while mayor of Waterville.
Bingo !!
While your on the subject of LePage, where the heck are all the jobs you promised you lier.
You said you were going to create jobs and put Maine back to work. Your going fast backwards.
You are destroying this state and your party. Good by and take the rest of the republicans with you.
Happyguy123, man I just want to cry…because people are suffering. LePage could care less. The bible tells us to test people and when we see what they are BELIEVE that is who they are.
Good for you. I still py my bills by mail and go to the Library or the store to buy books. Guess I’m more concerned with my fellow workers than you are. I actually support jobs, not cyberspace!!!
“Guess I’m more concerned with my fellow workers than you are. I actually support jobs, not cyberspace!!!”
What self-righteous twaddle. Where’s an air-sickness bag when you need one?
The internet is taking the place of books, and newspapers ! Look out BDN your next to have to stop selling papers ! I like reading BDN on my laptop, it gets to my house alot faster and earlier than the paperboy !
The BDN doesn’t care. USPS management has assured them the papers will get out on time even with the EM plant closing. Not too mention all the money they make from online ads. Basically the BDN will be a “blog” site instead of news when they finally realize nobody wants a paper two days late.
I suppose you also blame George Bush for this too right ?
Al Gore, he claimed to have invented the internet.
The loss of stores like this can almost totally be blamed on the internet. I don’t think that the governor can do anything about that interweb thingy.
And how many magazines have you been purchasing from Mr. Paperback?
Just wondering if you put your money where your mouth is.
I happen to buy books from Mr. Paperback quite frequently. I would much rather have the feel of a book in my hand instead of reading it off a computer screen. My son also feels the same he grew up in the computer age!!
I agree with you, I also like to read books. My mother likes her kindle it is much easier to read for an elderly/disabled person.
I was looking for the LePage response, I knew they would be here. He has absolutely nothing to do with this. And as far as the USPS……Its FEDERAL, has nothing to do with Lepage either. You need to get your facts straight.
Don’t confuse liberals with facts. I’ve tried my whole life. They just get angry and stomp their feet.
USPS and Mr. paperback are Lepage’s fault? Funniest, most irrevelant comment so far!
so where are all the jobs he was going to create? Not so smart after all is he?
He is not the brightest person. Listen to his speach, not to mention what comes out of his mouth.
It has nothing to do with the Governor, this is on federal. Lepage will get his next four years in office
I thought you blaming the Governor for this and USPS ( a federally created and controlled organization) was a joke. Then I noticed 22 people as ignorant as you. Wow!
LOL Pondlady. Have you ever studied civics? Do you really think a Governor is supposed to create demand for books? In case you haven’t noticed– the book industry is in a period of transition. Bookstores are closing left and right across the country. There’s absolutely nothing LePage, or any politician, can do about that. And FYI, the USPS is run at a federal level…
If you all would read, I simply meant that Maine has lost more jobs since he has become Governor than they have gained. I also haven’t heard a thing from his office regarding USPS. Wouldn’t you think he would have something to say considering the majority of the state is going to lose first class mail delivery. Must be because it’s the poor portion of the state that’s effected and we know he doesn’t care about the poor. FYI, I probably know more about civics in my little finger than you do in your whole body.
“I probably know more about civics in my little finger than you do in your whole body.”
Well, my goodness! That must make you what? A DA or federal prosecutor? Humor me. Where did you acquire this amazing knowledge? It’s impossible to communicate with such arrogant people like you.
Really none of your business. I’m also probably one of the least arrogant people on here!! I’m actually pretty humble and don’t make up facts that are untrue. I know how to research things.
LEARN HOW TO SPELL before you correct anyone.
You blame everything on da governor
Never would have seen this coming! Newspapers & books sold in such dynamic places didn’t pan out?
About seven years ago, i went into a MrPaperback store for a part time weekend job with my full time job. They wanted me to come in 4 hours a night,5 days a week, for $5.15. What the —-? Less than $100 a week. I would spend more hours getting ready to go to work , and traveling,than actual work.
bye,bye Mr “P”
Nice plug for unions. Mr. P has a Wal Mart mentality.
Someone, maybe retired that likes to read, that can’t earn over 13k per year, that doesn’t want to sit home and die alone would probably love that job. You did the owners a favor, big favor, by not sticking around. I bet your current employer, if you had one, wishes he/she was in the same boat.
Now,with a comment like that i have to put modesty aside and toot my own horn. There’s about 300 applicants waiting for my job, been like that for about seven years now. My employer could easily get rid of me, but they like staying in business. O, and i earn so much moolah, rising gasoline prices is a non-story to me. I can afford $4,,5, 6 a gallon for gasoline.
*eye roll*
I don’t think people realize how responding like this is more annoying than impressive
So because someone on their death bed might like the job, everyone else is supposed to as well? Just because this person didn’t want to work 20 hours for less than $100 does it mean he or she is not good at their current job. Stuns me the things people get all sensitive about on this site. I swear people would get ripped for saying they didn’t want to work for 1 cent a day. Sure enough someone would come along and claim that they would do work if it they didn’t get paid or some other crap.
And if you waited til 2007, they would have offered $5.85 ! Minimum wage was $5.15 in early 2000’s .
It was a part time job not a career.
The truth is the owners are great people and this place has stayed open much beyond expectations. They would have shut down years ago had they been held hostage by union employees extorting money from the business like we see so much today. 5o years in business is a long time with many cycles. This cycle is one that many businesses will not survive.
There were blizzards somewhere this winter. Blame a liberal! The Patriots lost. Blame the labor unions! Europe is having the worst winter in years. Blame Obama! You wing nuts obsession and illogic is truly amazing. Labor unions are a MAJOR reason why the Robin Hood in reverse that is occurring today did not occur in the 60s. They had and have a lot of faults, but guess what? They helped raise all of our standard of living. Go spew your venom somewhere else.
Why do Union Members Shop Wal-Mart for non union products?? Creating your own demise!!!
You actually know this, right? You have knowledge of actual people (more than six) that do this, right? You’re not just blowing smoke because you don’t like unions, are you? Right. Wanna buy a Chinbro bridge?
How many Union proud solidarity embassadors buy china, japan, toyotas, and on and on? Unions are a thing of the past as they should have been a long time ago. Extortion is illegal when one does it but when a bunch of “workers” band together they all of a sudden have rights and leverage. Those were the good old days for unions. Unions have done a good job destroying industry and manufacturing in the USA but they are going going and soon to be gone. See ya. Now go find that Mural. HAHAHHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAH.
So when a bunch of people get together and vote one way or the other that is extortion? Ya, that’s what I thought.
I would hope that the various public libraries in Maine have a chance to add to their collections before these stores shutdown.
I’ll miss Mr. Paperback, each time I go back to Maine, I try to stop in the one in the Airport Mall, they closed the one in Brewer many years ago, along with the one near the Bangor Mall, always stoped at the one in Ellsworth on the way to Bar Harbor as well, was just something fun to do, checking out new books and magazines.
I’d like to know just how many book I bought at Mr. Paperback over the years. They will be missed!!!!
A better headline would have been: “Mr. Paperback Stores Outlasts All Competitors, Stays Open Far Longer Than Imagined”. In many ways, the business was an amazing success st0ry, given the collapse of the bookstore industry. Sorry to see Mr. Paperback go, but nice job hanging on this long. That’s really something.
I was just thinking a couple of days ago that they must fit a niche in order to be open. Small enough to be nimble and with quite a few stores to get the deals, but alas.
Magazines Inc also delivers the newspapers to stores.
Absolutely. I suppose it’s like when those movie theaters popped up, and vaudeville died, then cable TV killed the theaters, etc. No more livery stables and blacksmiths because of those cars. Who knows what will come next, but they certainly had a good run.
Been to Bull Moose lately? They appear to be thriving. They modernized, and (Gasp!!!) advertise. The Foss family failed their customers and employees.
Been on Bit-torrent lately? Makes you wonder how Bull Moose or any of these other ‘old school’ places are still open. Everything is digital now. CDs and DVD’s are already obsolete and will be non-existent in 12 months. Bull Moose is doomed, they just don’t realize it yet.
More “Hope and Change”!
Governor LePage: I thought you were going to bring jobs to Maine. Where are they? O yes, let us worry about a mural first.
The jobs are in the same location the Mural is
The jobs are where you people spend your money, Big Box Store full of junk made in China..
Governors cannot create demand for product. The book industry is hurting all over the country, not just Maine. This is completely out of the power of a politician. It’s simply the free market. People don’t buy printed books like they used to. Big chain bookstores can hardly survive– it’s a wonder Mr. Paperback lasted this long. Blame the technology, but there’s no valid reason to blame Gov. LePage for a lack of demand for printed books. C’mon.
Newspapers are on the way out too. That is why the BDN is updating the news on this site and running every single piece of new regardless if it is worthy or not. They know people will read most anything. When newspapers and magazines and TV only had x number of pages or x number of minutes to give the public the news, they were very selective as to what they ran. Some stories just didn’t have enough teeth to be make the news. Now, the internet has unlimited space therefore unlimited news. Every once in a while it does the brain good to just turn it off, go outside, get some fresh air, spend some time with the family and not care what the news is reporting. I have done it on vacation and everytime I come back I realize I should do it more. On that, see you later.
Like them Gossip papers at the checkout line…yeah that is the business print model needed to survive and if a newspaper has to report on anything no matter how silly it sounds, hey as long as they are making a buck too
Well, if more Mainers had been literate…
Hopefully a joke.
Actually, it’s called the internet. No one buys books anymore – only aloof people actually go out and buy a $30 hardcover book of some celebrities memories or a composition on green living. The rest of us have been making do for years. Thrifty people don’t waste money on something that instantly depreciates. Newspapers are going out of business by the droves in EVERY state.
This is a real shame. There is so much that can be learned from books that many people will never see on Kindle. There are also many great magazines that publish stories that will never be found on the Internet, such as teh Maine based Lighthouse Digest magazine.
Very true, I bought a kindle for my wife for very specific purposes. I have used it and dont like it as much as real books. In some ways I find the selection of certain subjects a bit lacking. However one can understand how it has taken business away from bookstores. Also, if I can buy a book from Amazon at a much cheaper price than at Mr. Paperback what am I going to do nine times out of ten?
Its the same thing with encyclopedias. Remember those? They became obsolete when the internet came into existence as well. You want to learn about World War Two? You can either go to Mr. Paperback and hope they have some great WW2 books, or you can go on the internet and find thousands of pages of information in the comfort of your own home without spending any additional money other than the cost of the internet and the electricity to run it.
I have only ever met a few Mainers who are not able to read at all, but I know a lot of people, probably a majority of the Mainers I know, do not read anything at all by choice, other than personal mail, or road signs, nothing for entertainment or education, and if they do, they don’t actually spend money on it…
LOL – Talk about clueless.. Maine and especially the Bangor area has one of the highest litereacy rates in the COUNTRY !
An’ wher also rilly good spellars.
LOL – readin’ is one thing, writin’ is another !!
Maine wants to be a Red State so we should get used to these types of headlines
You’re kidding, right? Red states absolutely DOMINATE in business- Utah, Texas, North Dakota, Georgia, Virginia. Maine’s business climate is hurting from years of destructive liberal policies. Can’t be fixed overnight.
i went in there last week and i can see why they are closing. who wants to buy overpriced stuff? I can get my books online a heck of lot cheaper than paying full price there.
Therein lies the problem with local business … I can get it cheaper elsewhere …
Yes, it is part of the problem. However in my experience local businesses can beat out Box Stores if they fight for that business. This means a lot of things, advertising, developing a great reputation, having a business model that makes sense. There is a new tractor supply store coming to Ellsworth. I have no interest in it based only on the fact that Ellsworth Chainsaw, Ellsworth Feed and Seed and places are all local businesses that due a great job of customer service.
When there is only one giant distributor of books and magazines left, you will all see how cheap their prices are. Look up the term “category killers” on Google.
Actually, many of Mr. Paperback’s books were cheaper than you can buy on line. and, don’t forget the shipping charges when you buy on line.
Sadly your attitude is part of the problem with the economy. Nobody wants anybody else to make any money.
I enjoy Mr. Paperback! It has a lot of local books and Maine history that you simply can’t find at the the large chains. It’s really too bad it’s closing.
Will miss Mr. P always visiting the Dover Foxcroft store when vacationing up at Sebec Lake. Amazing that they have stayed open as long as they have
I’ll always have fond memories of sneaking a peek at my first Adult Magazine at Mr. Paperback. ‘Merica baby!
TMI
I am so sorry to hear about this wonderful Maine bookstore chain closing. As a kid growing up in Washington County, Mr. Paperback in Ellsworth was our only real bookstore and going there with the family was always a treat before heading home after a day of shopping ‘in the big city’. When moving to Fairfield 13 years ago I was happy to find a ‘Paperbacks’ in Waterville and am a regular customer, despite having a Kindle. Thanks for the memories and stories, Mr. Paperback, I wish you and your employees well.
Lynn, there’s a small children’s bookstore in downtown Waterville that carries an ever growing selection of books for adults. They are also happy to special order whatever a customer is looking for.
So when is Maine going to open for business?
Ask Cianbro.
It’s can only be open for business that is in demand. Printed books and magazines are not in high demand. The truth hurts…
So since we have been “open for business” what is the net job gain ?
I’m just asking objectively.
Then how is that cut taxes and balance the budget, too, thingy working out ?
In the Ellsworth Mr. Paperback there is a small little lunch spot called Karens Cafe. That will be going away too. In some circumstances I wonder if location of its stores has hurt Mr. Paperback. The Maine Coast Mall has been shedding tenants for years and not picking up many new ones. That whole “mall” has been loosing customer traffic for many years.
When Borders, which was packed every time I went there, closes 399 stores, I’m not sure why people are blaming this on LePage. Or why they are surprised by it. Unless you want to blame OBAMA for the 399 Borders closings nationally, you have no right to even mention LePage when it comes to these 12 stores or whatever it is. Obama puts 120 people out of work about every 5 seconds.
I blame it on the rise of the Tea Party. They don’t read and have an anti-intellectual bent, that’s for sure. Those folks only need a radio to listen to the Voice of Maine and their stable of Rush and the rest of the screaming Right.
The tea party has nothing to do with it.. The voice of maine might… The Tea Party will fight for your rights, The Tea Party believes in the constitution… Most Repubs/Dems are from the same cloth.
Oh yeah, and there are TONS of those people floating around Belfast, Ellsworth, Bangor, etc. And of course those same people who you claim don’t read somehow lived in the same community that allowed Mr Paperback to be a strong business for a long time. Interesting.
I agree completely. Look at the facts, the internet, the kindle, the public library. Mr. Paperback had quite a selection of adult material according to one poster here. And yet that is now free on the internet so who really needs to buy smut mags. Mr. Paperback had to compete against Amazon and based on price competition could never win that battle. Plus, at least in Ellsworth, Mr. Paperback is located in a “dying” area. I would say Hannaford used to be the anchor of that mall along with Amers and then Mardens. Hannaford is not doing as much business now due to Walmart being open and the amount of people in that area has fallen by a lot.
By the way, just to be clear, I didnt mention LePage in any of my posts. I dont think its his fault and think anyone who says it is foolish.
TJ Maxx is in there now. Decent store. But they need some decent stores between there and the Hannaford. Most people who go grocery shopping aren’t going to the Mall part. They should try to get some other retailers in there, Eddie Bauer, Old Navy, whatever would be popular and bring some people.
TJ MAXX did fill a void. However you are correct with there not being enough draw there. I have always been a person who goes to a store with a very specific purpose. It appears not enough people have the specific purpose of going to Mr. Paperback to buy something and that is one of the problems.
I know the two are different but compare Mr. Paperback and Shermans in Bar Harbor for example. One, Shermans has little competition based on its location. Two, Shermans has large amounts of walk by traffic in the summer and fall. Three, Shermans has ambiance to it based on the fact it is located in a older building with nostalgic appeal. Mr. Paperback has none of those things.
Throw in the the factors of technology, and being able to by cheaper books on amazon, as well as utilize the library and you can see how Mr. Paperback could not compete anymore.
I haven’t been in Ellsworth for over ten years, and with the new improved Route 9, I don’t see myself going there again. The Maine Coast Mall parking lot is a drug bazaar and has been since I worked at AMES in the early 1990’s.
In my opinion the only part of this that can be blamed on politicians is the Federal China Trade Policy which both political parties have supported for the forty-two years.
If you live in or near Milbridge and further East like Cherryfield and beyond then I can understand why you would take the airline instead of going up Route 1 through Gouldsboro, Sullivan and Hancock, drive through Ellsworth and then get to Bangor up Route 1A.
More Maine jobs bye bye. Hey LePage where are all the jobs you promised during the election? Since you have taken office, Maine has lost hundreds of jobs each and every month you been govna.
While you are shopping Wal-Mart for Products made in China ask yourself the same question.
Right, because anyone can afford to shop competitors. Walmart is a corporation that has its teeth in the nation as deeply, if not more deeply, than any politician. We are forced into a corner with minimum wage jobs and still need the staples of life at an affordable price. What choice do we have? Principles be damned, we still need food and toilet paper.
Have you heard of Caswell’s in Waterville?
Caswell’s Expiration Center? Yep!
The money noose is getting tighter and tighter, Shopping Box Stores gives all the money to 400/500 people in this country.. Soon there will be no money to shop wal-mart…
It is Walmart’s friend and business partner Communist China that has its teeth into the USA. We declared we “won” the cold war because the Soviet Union dissolved? China has 1.7 Billion people. That is 20% of the planet’s population. They also are attempting to “buy” the United States, and they seem to be making headway in that direction thanks to help from our political class.
Before you say this is a “partisan” statement remember Nixon, Ford, Carter, Reagan, Bush I, Clinton, Bush II and Obama have all helped China in its effort to undermine the US economic system. Also remember they all did this to gain personal (as opposed to National) wealth and power.
Benedict Arnold was a patriot compared to today’s politicians.
A rapid response team will be brought in to help train former employees and get them new jobs, said Robichaud.
Absolutely. It’s important to teach them how to apply for unemployment and where the soup kitchens are. In the mean time, our elected politicians are spending million$ on their election campaigns and not working to fix our economy. Never thought I would see a caste system in the United States, where he who has the gold, has absolute rule, and is above the law the rest of us peons must abide by.
I know Obama Lords over us!!!
“Never thought I would see a caste system in the United States” Really?
Obviously you have not had your eyes open. The Kennedys, Rockefellers, Vanderbuilts, Carnegies, Goulds, Bushs, Coors, Roosevelts, Hearsts, Kings and 390 other families like them have always occupied the US upper caste. They travel by private jet, take year-long vacations in places with unpronounceable names, own 15 or twenty homesteads, never shop, buy gas, or mow their own lawn. They are insulated from other “castes” by the red line.
We have the “political class” They have been here since the civil war. To them “patriotism” is a selling point. They sell their power to the highest bidders, help businesses when they get in trouble, keep workers in their place, and marginalize anyone who claims “the system” is unfair.
The vanishing “working class” was once the backbone of the USA, they are the people who build our homes, pave our street, work in diners and fast-food places, and make the economy run. Once the upper classes depended on them to keep the money coming in, but now they are no longer necessary because the Chinese Mexicans, and Indians (the eastern variety) will work cheaper…lots cheaper. Ford made more cars in India in 2010 than they made in the US.
On the bottom are the poor. They were there at the time of our “revolution” on the back-streets of Boston, New York, Philadelphia, and Baltimore. Some of them were worse off then the English poor in that they were run-away slaves, who could be thrown into chains just for attempting to get away from slavery. The dirty little secret is that the economic system we have chosen needs a variable sized unemployed population to keep unions down, fill in for the temp positions, and to jump start the economy after particularly bad depressions. These people do not have high expectations, they can live cheap, and they often have no problem battling the other half of the working class. ,
This country has always had a “caste system”
I have been an employee at the bangor store for 4 1/2 years. That store saved me and I made so many wonderful friends with not only my co-workers and the Foss family, but with my customers. I love them all and it really hurts to say goodbye, but I am going to push through and stay till the end because I am so grateful for the experience. :( So please stop in when you can before we close. We would love to see all of you!
Now heard you all 4 times you have posted the same thing.
You must have that transendmental dedication…I don’t hear a thing.
I have been an employee at the bangor store for 4 1/2 years. That store saved me and I made so many wonderful friends with not only my co-workers and the Foss family, but with my customers. I love them all and it really hurts to say goodbye, but I am going to push through and stay till the end because I am so grateful for the experience. :( So please stop in when you can before we close. We would love to see all of you!
I have been an employee at the bangor store for 4 1/2 years. That store saved me and I made so many wonderful friends with not only my co-workers and the Foss family, but with my customers. I love them all and it really hurts to say goodbye, but I am going to push through and stay till the end because I am so grateful for the experience. :( So please stop in when you can before we close. We would love to see all of you!
I have been an employee at the bangor store for 4 1/2 years. That store saved me and I made so many wonderful friends with not only my co-workers and the Foss family, but with my customers. I love them all and it really hurts to say goodbye, but I am going to push through and stay till the end because I am so grateful for the experience. :( So please stop in when you can before we close. We would love to see all of you!
I knew they were doomed. I looked at the shelves in Belfast last summer and said they’ll be out of business within a year. The books were all turned so you could see the covers on the shelves, to make the shelves look full. There wasn’t any real inventory. They’d stopped investing in it, because they knew they were on the way down.
watch these videos of people in small maine towns,do you see anyone who looks like they read books?:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=shsjE_tzJu8
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dXgeqmjv_hU
Are you a snob? Just asking. And to answer your question, yes. These look like the people who have read books you’ve never heard of.
Borders closed before. It’s a paperless world. Blaming Lepage for us being a paperless generation is asinine. I feel bad for those affected. It’s not a good time for anyone to be involved in print media or journalism from what I see. The Bangor Daily just jacked the price of their paper – something tells me they are struggling too.
… and I just dropped my subscription. I would GLADLY pay for a newspaper which was not 85% opinion, and 15% news.
President Brick OBAMO still wants to convince everyone that the economy is improving and he’s the sole reason why. And anything negative that occurs, he has nothing to do with. A child-like narcissist. What an embarrassment.
“Brick, where did you get a grenade?” – Ron Burgundy.
Actually, Biden would be Brick Tamlin (IQ of 54) and Obama would be Burgundy – he’ll read anything on the teleprompter.
So sorry to see this happen. Just another sign of some very bad times.
I am sorry for the employees and the owners on the loss of their income, and it is tough to see a local business ending its run. However, I never liked the fact that these “honest” and “ethical” people sold porn.
I know we should censor what people read, right???
I suppose you also frown on convenience stores and supermarkets that sell alcohol and tobacco, right?
Must be Bush’s fault.
More job losses for LePage and his cronies.
Yes, Paul Lepage insisted that the owners of Mr. Paperback cling to an outmoded and unpopular business model in a dying industry for about 10 years too long. He is prescient huh?
Continue to Shop Wal-Mart and the national chain box stores Folks… Someday they will come for your jobs!!!! (-:!
Wal Mart had nothing to do with this DvG. Give Wally World a break on this one. Have you noticed that lately you can read everything you want without relying on a single sheet of paper? Bookstores have been in the endangered species category for quite awhile now. Laptop, Kindle or Smart phone anyone?
No. I need to highlight and carry around. I need to hold in my hands and share, not caring if it comes back. I need to read what I want to in privacy, not sharing all my choices with marketers (who make inane suggestions) or Big Brother (who collects information).
Bookstores? What are those? Sigh…
My Dad and I have the same name, Dale. Believe it or not, there are other people named Dale Junior besides the guy who drives a race car for a living.
A few months ago one of the news stations showed a toddler trying to use a a fortune magazine as if it were an I pad. If a baby is doing that how are the parents reading?
Its to bad about the jobs being lost —AGAIN–IN MAINE —:( Robert Foss was my brother-in-law and I always found him to be pleasant and quite . We dont live in the big city but we know its tough for people to lose there jobs in this struggling economy . JOBS ARE AS PRECIOUS AS GOLD NOW !!! We live downeast and its really tough down here also !!
Maine retirees who are more apt to read hard copy than electronic media have been cut so much they aren’t buying books. BTW, 4 years ago you righties would have blamed Baldacci. I guess now it’s no one’s fault. “Chip happens.”
Actually a large portion of our sales of books were to older people, many of them from Maine.
Sad to see Mr. Paperback go, were excellent little stores. #fb
The real shame is that too many people are reading less. This is a real shame, because there is nothing like holding a real book in your hand. Kindle is not the answer. but it is a sign of the times as people care less and less about the the written word of talented people, but would rather read their own postings on Facebook and other social media sites, where in all essence, they don’t and won’t learn much of anything with substance.
The Maine based Lighthouse Digest magaziine had a great editorial comment in their January/February 2012 edition titled ” Threatened Books” that tells about the large number of books being destroyed in this country and the possible long range effects this will have.
Gotta disagree on the Kindle. I read even more with my Kindle than I did before. It is the convenience and ability to have more than one book with you, as I like to read a couple of books at a time.
Nothing to do with LePage or economy. Print has been dying for years and this was inevitable.
All businesses are meant to continue forever. They do go out of business- fact of life.
Thank-you Mr. Paperback for your many years of Great customer service and dedication to the public. I grew up patronizing your business and you will be sadly missed!!
All the people who worked there can find work at the ‘ gentlemens club’…just saying’.
Anti- big government Paul Lepage gave 17 million of our tax dollars to his friends in Toronto Canada in return for 150 low paying and temporary jobs . Since Lepage justified hiring Canadian workers by citing the 14th amendments equal protection clause shouldn’t he have spent at least 9 million to say these 80 jobs?
My understanding of the 14th amendment is that it protects US citizens. Otherwise they would call it the North American Constitution, rather than the US Constitution.
Here is a link to the story.
http://bangor-launch.newspackstaging.com/2011/06/07/politics/lepage-vetoes-foreign-loggers-bill/
Lepage did this for his friends in Canada but he thinks American workers don’t have equal protections.
Lepage violated the Maine constitution as well when he gave 17 million tax payer dollars to a Canadian investment bank. “Article IX, Section 14 of the Constitution requires that before the state can take on any liability greater than $2 million, the Legislature must approve of the action by a two-thirds vote and then be approved in a general election by Maine voters “
Wow, I thought book stores were going out of business because the computer age has made all those forward thinking businesses digitize content and those left over die out. I must be dumb. Anyone know where I can buy a buggy whip?
Stores close, but other, independent bookstores open, as in Belfast. The BDN ran this article in July of 2011 http://bangor-launch.newspackstaging.com/2011/07/19/news/midcoast/new-bookstores-mean-new-book-festival-for-belfast/
I visited Bella Books yesterday, one of the new bookstores in Belfast, drawn to it by their imaginative and delightful combination and display of books and old things in the store. There is a wonderful membership program that is creative and very generous.
Moreover, the owners are delightfully engaging and not only know their customers, but are are cheerfully interested in their customers’ interests. “Fun”, and knowing you by sight, rather than as a compilation of sales data, is not something you get online or in Kindle.
And, I know well the offerings of Beyond the Sea, and The Old Professor’s bookshop, both excellent and unique. Next stop, Artisan Books and Bindery.
The independent bookstores stores that closed in recent years, nurtured a book-loving, reading patronage that will not be extinguished, no matter the technology. Real people. Real books. Belfast may well be a mecca for bookstores and booklovers, and great thoughts.
Very sad.
I’m counting on the Tweeter’s ,Facebooker’s and Texter’s to save the economy, of course that’s if they can find the time do so… (-:
In a few more years the only place you’ll find paper books is in a museum thanks to kindle and nook.
It’s sad to see. I think this is just one more example of the impact the Internet has had on business.
Too bad the store is leaving Caribou. Not much there except banks and an expensive grocery chain.
No i dont share
The sad thing about the big stores is the lack of service. I must admit most people today don’t know what serivce is like so they don’t miss it. I support the small stores that I can, and am quite willing to pay more to do so, because I like having stores where people know me and what I like and will special order if I want something that they don’t have.
One (mid-sized) store I did like was Portous Mitchell and Braun. The last time I patronized the Bangor Mall it was still open.
People might not see this coming, but Malls will be the next big casualty of the “computer age.”
That will not make me sad.
Hmmm… Bookstores close, a “gentleman’s” club opens. Shows where culture can be found around here…
Ayuh…some of us can read ’em like a book.
GM should have died from natural causes, sort of like book stores, eh!
This is sad news, I hope that Bull Moose Music can expand into Ellsworth to fill the void that this leaves… they’ve been without a music or video game store for years, too.
That is true. Strawberrys left the Maine Coast Mall years ago. The only place to buy music in the area is Walmart. Of course the way people buy music has changed a lot too over the years with technology.
The problem with buying electronic books is that the price is too high. The publishers don’t have to pay the high cost of printing out hard copies & save the cost of ink & paper but don’t pass much of the savings on to the consumer. A recent example is one book coming out in hard cover at $14.77 & the kindle version at $12.99, a savings of only $1.78. For that price I’d rather pay for the actual book to hold in my hands & be able to read when the power goes out & the kindle needs recharging, along with supporting my local business. I’ve enjoyed buying my books at Mr. Paperback ever since moving here 5 years ago & have enjoyed the friendly, helpful & knowledgeable staff that work in the Belfast store. They will be sorely missed.
Many years ago when I was courting the girl who would become the incomparable Mrs. C, I used to buy mushy cards for her at Mr. Paperback. It’s sad to see the stores close.
I used to stand in the store and read the books without buying them…. Now I feel guilty.
Simple solution: tax outsourced labor in such a way that it’s cheaper to hire American employees. Our products will cost more, but unemployment would be drastically reduced, product quality would increase, and our economy would be much stronger because America would start exporting more goods and become valuable in the world market again.
“Diamonds gentleman’s club opens in Bangor
Maybe they can get jobs there.