DAMARISCOTTA, Maine — Sherman’s Books & Stationery will add Maine Coast Book Shop & Cafe to its fleet of bookstores on the Maine coast, with all to be operated under the name Sherman’s Maine Coast Book Shops.
Sherman’s has stores in Bar Harbor, Boothbay Harbor, Camden, Freeport and Portland’s Old Port district. The Bar Harbor store is nearly 130 years old, founded in 1886 by William Sherman and acquired by owner Jeff Curtis from his mother in 2006, according to a release.
Susan and Barnaby Porter will continue to run Maine Coast Book Shop & Cafe through the Christmas season, and Curtis will assume daily operations on Jan. 1.
In May, the Porters announced that they would sell the 50-year-old store in historic Lincoln Hall, the 1875 building that also houses the Lincoln Theater.
Although the store hadn’t been profitable for the last couple of years, Susan Porter said she would search for just the right buyer: someone “passionate” about books who would continue to host author events and maintain the quality of the historic building.
Curtis said Tuesday that he plans to retain all existing staff and not make any significant changes to the store.
“Joining together, we look forward to bringing the best of the Maine Coast Book Shop to the other Sherman’s stores and the best of Sherman’s to the Maine Coast Book Shop to ultimately create the best of the best local, independent bookstores for each of our communities,” Curtis said in the release.
“I feel strongly that a bookstore is the soul of a vibrant downtown,” Curtis continued. “We will do everything in our power to make sure the Maine Coast Book Shop remains the social and cultural center of Damariscotta. It is already a popular and successful business … we do not intend to make any significant changes.”
Curtis declined to disclose the sale price of the business, which came with joint ownership of the building in a co-op arrangement with the Lincoln Theater.
In May, the assessed value of the entire building was $800,400, according to Damariscotta assessor’s agent Jurate Barnes, with $419,100 assessed to the nonprofit theater and $381,300 assessed to the bookstore and cafe.