HODGDON, Maine — Seeing an opportunity to provide another needed service to the community, Laura and Geno Seiders of Houlton have opened Seiders’ Redemption Center.
Located at 53 Calais Road, just across the Houlton town line in Hodgdon, the redemption center gives patrons another outlet for their returnable bottles and cans.
“We have always had something like this up our sleeves,” Gino Seiders said. “There are only two redemption centers in Houlton, and they can be overwhelmed at times with so many people returning bottles. We heard from a lot of people that they were looking for another outlet with longer hours, so we thought we would give it a try.”
In order to operate a redemption center, the couple had to seek a permit from the state. According to Seiders, an application must first be submitted to the state’s Department of Environmental Protection and a site review needs to happen before any new business can open.
“They need to look at your square footage and make sure you have everything done properly,” he said. “You also have to be totally set up and ready to open before they show up for the inspection.”
The business opened March 1 and has seen a steady clientele since. Groups who would like to have bottles collected as fundraisers are encouraged to reach out to the Seiders.
“Anyone that needs to do a bottle drive, we can help,” he said. “I have also reached out to Project Graduation to see if we can do anything for them too.”
The couple also owns Seiders Hill-Top Lanes, bowling alley, located next door at 61 Calais Road.
As part of their grand opening, the Seiders are giving away a pair of tickets to see Uncle Kracker at the Millar Civic Center April 5. Each customer who likes their Facebook page, shares it and “tags” a friend will be entered into the contest. Customers are also entered every time they bring returnables to the business from now through April 5.
Seiders Redemption is open Monday-Saturday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Sunday from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. For more information, visit them on Facebook.
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- Rows and rows of boxes full of returnable bottles can be found inside Seiders Redemption Center in Hodgdon. (Joseph Cyr)
