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| Contributed photo/Theron Larkins Mike Cyr, owner of Mike’s Family Market in Limestone, tends the cash register to help out during a busy morning. Cyr recently opened Mike’s Quikstop and Deli on U.S. Route 1 in Caribou. |
By Theron Larkins
Special to the Aroostook Republican
During today’s economic hardships and instability small businesses and the entrepreneurs who establish them are becoming more vital than ever. One local Limestone merchant is doing more than his share to boost the region’s struggling economy.
Michael Cyr is currently the owner of Mike’s Family Market, an independent grocery store located on 5 Main Street in Limestone. Since taking over the grocery store business in 2010, the Cyr family has been able to establish a bustling small-town market with a steady influx of local consumers in a short time. With only one other convenience store in the entire town, Mike’s Family Market has become an essential part of everyday life in Limestone.
Cyr runs the market with the help of his father David and nephew, Andrew, as well as a few non-related loyal employees. Their attention to their customers have helped Mike’s become a staple in a community that has a limited number of options when it comes to doing the grocery shopping.
With Cyr having proven his stellar business acumen it makes sense that he and his family would attempt to open another business. This time, Cyr will be setting up shop in Caribou. Cyr recently purchased an existing business on U.S. Route 1 in Caribou, just south of the Caribou Inn and Convention Center.
County Quikstop, formerly owned by the St. Peter family, will now be known as Mike’s Quikstop and Deli. The name may have only slightly changed, but the store itself may soon seem brand new.
“They didn’t have a deli there before. We’re going to add that to the new store, so we’ll have stuff like pizza and subs. Taking from what I’ve learned here I’ll bring some of that knowledge with me over there to not only put a deli in, but also remodel the place a little bit, and make it customer-friendly” said Cyr. “It’s not that they weren’t doing a good job before, they were, but I think there are some ideas that I have that will help to increase business and move things forward.”
Cyr is originally from Caribou and has always hoped to return to the area with the means to open a second business. He’s been working in similar businesses since 1984, when he started at the former Mike’s IGA.
“Then, in 1988, I moved to Presque Isle, where I was the Assistant Manager at Smythe’s IGA. By 2001, I’d decided to venture out on my own, so I purchased the former Easton Thriftway Shurfine. I purchased this [Mike’s Family Market], which was formerly Limestone Grocery Shurfine” said Cyr. “It’s been four years, and I’m looking for new challenges, so I purchased The County Quikstop.”
When asked about opening his new business Cyr said, “One of the things I’ve learned over the last fifteen years is that you can make decent money working for someone else, but you never really get ahead. That’s why I really wanted to get out and own my own place.”
As Cyr’s list of entrepreneurial achievements continues to grow he also continues to aid the economy, as well as the betterment of the community.
“I started in Easton, and I built that business up. Then I came to Limestone and found this one and thought maybe I could do the same thing here, so I fixed it up, did a lot of remodeling, put all new siding on the building. It’s basically a brand new building, and that’s the same thing I hope to do at my new place” said Cyr.
Cyr will look to have continued success at his new business, where he looks to employ many of the same techniques.
“It’s the same theory in Caribou. I’m just putting a little money into some of the places that have been rundown over the years to make them more presentable to people, so they come in and say, ‘Wow, this is nice.’ Ya know?”
Mike’s Quikstop and Deli is going through an inevitable transformation process, but the store is currently up and running and ready for business.
