The Press Herald reports that Borealis is closing their location on Ocean Street in Portland on Saturday.
Jim Amaral, the well-known Maine baker behind the bistro and the larger Borealis Breads bakeries in Wells and Waldoboro, said the building is owned by his brother, a Massachusetts real estate developer who has decided to sell the property. Amaral said he will focus on the wholesale side of Borealis, “which accounts for most of our business anyway and has been very, very busy the past couple of years.”
The space will be available for lease and Amaral “hopes another food business or restaurant will take over the space and perhaps add dinner service with beer and wine in the evening.”
I wonder if they’re planning on closing their other retail outlets? They’ve got one in Wells and one in Waldoboro. Ad they do a large number of Saturday Farmer Markets as well. So if they’re planning on focus on the wholesale side of the business, it’ll mean a major change in how they operate now.
I think that Portland store suffered from being in a truly bad location more than anything else.