HOULTON, Maine — Citing increased competition from a large retail store and a general decline in downtown foot traffic, another longtime downtown business has decided to call it quits.
Beals Variety closed its doors on Friday, March 31 after 18 and a half years in downtown Houlton.
Beals Variety has called a number of downtown locations home over the years. The business started out at 82 Main St. in October of 1998, and moved to several different locations before settling into 21 Market Square five years ago.
Owner Mike and Shelly Beals, along with some help from their daughter, Kim Carmichael, have been operating the store since its beginning. Beals Variety is a collective assortment of products from greeting cards, embroidering threads, craft and scrapbooking items to home decor and a surplus of unique, affordable merchandise. Holiday decorations were also one of the more popular items.
“We always wanted to be downtown,” Mike Beals said. “We were trying to do our part to keep businesses here.”
The closure of Beals Variety is just the latest in a series of closures for long-standing businesses in the downtown area. Town and Country closed its doors after Dec. 24, 2016 following nearly 100 years in business. Just a few short days later, Uncle Willy’s Candy Shoppe suddenly closed its doors on Jan. 7, ending an eight-year run as one of Houlton’s more popular destination for youngsters.
A number of other businesses — Shelly’s Cafe, Hippie Chic, Daniel’s Florist — have also closed within the past year.
At one time, business was booming in the downtown, Mike said. “We would go down to Bath to buy inventory sometimes two or three times a week,” he said. “But traffic has really died off downtown. It’s sad. Business has just never really rebounded.”
Both Mike and Shelly said it will be the people they would see in their shop that they miss the most. Those relationships with regular customers is something that both had grown to cherish over the years.
And while they have no immediate plans for reopening in another location any time soon, neither would rule out the possibility of some type of business venture in the future.
“Who knows, maybe someday I will reopen in a small spot,” Mike said.
“I would like to do something with the Community Market in the summer,” Shelly added.
