SEARSPORT—After two years, the $17.8 million road construction though downtown Searsport finally concluded in September to the relief of locals and business owners. And now there's more reason to celebrate.

After Maineport Brewing opened on Main Street this past summer, two more businesses, Edwards Supermarket, and H&H Mercantile, have set up shop on Main Street, cementing a revitalized downtown, while Anodyne Book shop has reopened down the road.

H&H Mercantile

H&H Mercantile, owned by Patrick Hutchings and his husband, Jack Hill, moved from its initial location at the Hobby Horse Antiques Marketplace to the former gallery on 31 E. Main Street and held its grand opening on November 15.

"We probably doubled our space," said Hutchings, who added it has increased their capacity to display the work and goods of more than 150 artists, crafters, bakers, authors, farmers, and growers. 

The front section of the store displays in-season produce and bakery items, along with a refrigerator and freezer of organic meat, cheese, microgreens, cider, eggs, and milk. Handcrafted items from Maine line the shelves, along with a room in the back for more artisans and books by Maine authors.

In a Facebook post concluding the grand opening, Hutchings wrote: "Today went so well! It was so amazing to see everyone! It was worth every minute of the wait to reopen, see all of our friends, and make new ones!"

While they work on restocking items, Hutchings said they're planning some specials and events for the upcoming holidays.

"There's a revitalization going on here and we got in right at the beginning," said Hutchings.

For more information, visit their website.

Edwards Brothers Supermarkets

Jeremy Edwards, along with his brother, Jason, bought the former Tozier's Family Market, after it abruptly closed in August, leaving residents without a local grocery store.

The brothers have been steadily working on renovating and stocking the full-service supermarket, with a projected November grand opening on November 22.

The Edwards brothers, who also own stores in Unity, Trenton, and Dover-Foxcroft, have a lot of experience with supermarkets.

"Long story short, my dad worked for Hannaford supermarkets for some 40-odd years, then became a general manager for the Graves supermarket chains," said co-owner Jeremy Edwards. "When the owners of the Graves stores retired, he bought a couple of their stores and started the family business of Edwards Family Supermarkets."

Jeremy said it's taken about two months to complete renovations to the store's interior, including completely revamping the deli and hot food counter. 

"We put some time, money, and love back into the building and can't wait to share that with the community," said Jeremy. We are supplied by Hannaford Supermarkets, so we're confident in the product quality and pricing."

"The support has been phenomenal, and I saw a comment on our Facebook page the other day from someone who said, 'I can't believe I'm so excited about a grocery store opening.'"

Stay tuned to their grand opening by visiting their Facebook page.

Anodyne Book Shop

In 2023, Anodyne opened on 33 East Main Street. A year and a half later, the owner Elly Burnett knew they would to need to move to a bigger space.

After moving a mile down the road to 175 West Main Street and doing renovations, the book shop is re-opening November 21. "We have a much bigger space; it's more than doubled," she said. "Luckily, we bought it from artists who took a lot of care of the building and its aesthetics.  In addition, we will soon have a coffee shop in early December for for events and for people in the community to gather and have conversations.

Burnett envisions using the wall space for artists with a monthly artist show and more events for authors.

Stay tuned to their Facebook page for more updates.

Kay Stephens can be reached at news@penbaypilot.com