Auto dealer opens store in Biddeford
By Paula Brewer
Staff Writer
PRESQUE ISLE — In a 15-year history that has seen two other expansions, North Country Auto is now reaching further south into the Biddeford market. Its new location at 605 Alfred Street, Biddeford, opened last month.
“It’s exciting,” said North Country owner Randy Norsworthy Monday. “It’s the first large market that North Country Auto has been in. You know, it’s interesting that our home office is in Presque Isle. Usually, things are based in southern Maine, such as Portland, with satellite offices in Aroostook County.”
Norsworthy said the store will be similar in size to Presque Isle’s showroom on South Main Street and will be “one of our larger stores.”
He explained the Biddeford/Saco area is one of the largest car markets in Maine, second only to Bangor. North Country’s new facility is in a heavily traveled area, which Norsworthy thinks is just right.
“Our location on Alfred Street is directly near Home Depot and the strip malls there. It’s the busiest secondary road in the state of Maine,” he noted. “The drive-by traffic, especially in the evening as people travel home from work, is bumper-to-bumper for about an hour and a half.”
He believes the new store will have long-lasting benefits for the company. “Last year we finished 16th in the state for used-sale volume. I believe Biddeford will help us get in the top 10.”
The company had considered other locations for expansion, such as Newport, and there are healthy markets in Waterville and Augusta as well, but the Biddeford site won.
“We had an opportunity with that building and that marketplace,” Norsworthy reflected. “The facility is very nice, a five-year-old facility, with 1,000 feet of frontage on the street.”
He admits it’s a bit of a challenge to operate a store 300 miles from the home office, but feels the company’s philosophy and business plan can succeed. “It’s all about people,” he added.
North Country Auto began on the corner of State and Dyer streets in Presque Isle. Changes through the years have included the store moving to its current location, purchasing the former Lincoln Mercury dealership on the Mapleton Road as its service center, and opening up sites in Houlton and Lincoln.
Norsworthy said the new Biddeford location will help the company service customers statewide. “North Country Auto prides itself on being a one-of-a-kind dealership that cares about you after your vehicle purchase, not just during the experience. With more inventory to choose from, we are able to get our customers exactly what they’re looking for.”
