CAMDEN — The Megunticook Market, aka Meg Market, is a Camden Millville neighborhood food store that draws customers from the area for groceries, sandwiches, prepared dinners and pizza. At the end of January, the market changed hands again, with longtime Rockport businesswoman Tracie Nguyen purchasing it.

Since then, the air has brightened with optimism, as Nguyen plans upgrades and restores some of the features that has made the store a favorite.

The full name is Megunticook Market and Catering,  Inc., and that describes its full intent to be a place to purchase groceries and provide meals for individuals and events.

"I will keep mostly everything that’s happening there," she said, and retaining most of the staff.

Recently, she has concentrated on adjusting some of the sizes of the baked goods to make them a little bit bigger.  And, she has added more variety of Asian selections of the grab and go, as well as adding more choices for Asian grocery goods. 

She is planning to lower the pizza prices and grab-and-grow sandwiches, to appeal to more local people.

"We had hired over 10 people to prepare the upcoming summer," said Nguyen. "Currently we have 25 employees and plan to hire three more."

She cited price gouging at at the market over recent years and said, "we will continue lowering the grocery prices."

"We want to buy our loyal local customers back," said Ngyuen.

The store will be closed April 4-11 for renovations, and then she looks forward to a grand reopening soon after that.

Nguyen has owned Tropical Salon and Spa in Rockport since 1999, and is a familiar face in the Midcoast. Support for her acquistion has surged and word gets around that the Meg Market has changed hands.

"The support of the locals brings me to tears," she said. "I see so many familiar faces, and I am happy the community is so supportive of another community member."