Staff Writer
FORT FAIRFIELD — Fort Fairfield saw the official emergence of two new businesses on March 5, when the ownership and staff of Crippled Indian Arcade and the Crippled Indian Vintage Motors met with the Fort Fairfield Chamber of Commerce for the ceremonial ribbon cutting.
Aroostook Republican photo/Natalie Bazinet
John Mersereau, Keith Michaud, Jesse Healy, Fort Fairfield Chamber of Commerce Director Janet Kelley, Crippled Indian owner Cindy Mersereau, Chipper, Sarah Cote, and Chamber of Commerce Board Member Carl Young attended the ribbon-cutting ceremony for Crippled Indian Vintage Motors on Feb. 5. Healy, owner of J&J Originals, attended the event in support of Crippled Indian Vintage Motors.
Crippled Indian Vintage Motors has been characterized as a working man’s garage; customers pay a daily lift fee to use the garage, tools, and available parts provided by the shop to perform maintenance and repairs to their own vehicles.
"What we have for the arcade equipment is doing very well,” reported Crippled Indian owner Cindy Mersereau. “The garage has just started getting up and going and we have a lot of good support from local people looking for a place to work on their vehicles. Right now, they're busy trying to shovel out what they have to get it the garage to work on it," she joked.
"I think that the working man’s garage is a great idea,” said Janet Kelley, director of the Fort Fairfield Chamber of Commerce. “I know that there are a lot of people around the area that don't have homes with garages and don't have a place to work on their vehicles. Vintage Motors gives them a warm and dry place to be able to do that for a reasonable price.”
According to Mersereau, Crippled Indian Vintage Motors anticipates having full service gasoline available for purchase in one or two months.
“Crippled Indian has done a great job promoting business and bringing people into town to see what a great community that we have," said Kelley. “I encourage people to come to town and check it out; the arcade is a great place for kids to hang out. Crippled Indian has done well to promote a drug-free atmosphere.”
Games offered at the arcade include pinball and pool. During summer, when Crippled Indian is open 24 hours, the arcade will be available for the same times.
"We actually had a lot of teenagers by here last summer just hanging out and playing music, and this gives them something else to do,” explained Mersereau. “They’re not causing trouble, they're not out drinking, and they're not out doing drugs — if we're here anyways, why not?” she questioned. “We have one of the artists who prefers to work at night and he has a clientele that likes to be up during that same time,” Mersereau added. “There's really not a lot else to do in Aroostook County during the middle of the night.”
Individuals interested in obtaining more information about Crippled Indian Vintage Motors or Arcade can contact 472-0002.
The Monday night Bible study that had normally been offered at Crippled Indian has been moved to the Fort Fairfield United Pentecostal Church.
