CARIBOU, Maine — Caribou natives Jeremy and Andrea Flannery have purchased the Access 89 Bar and Grill, a local bar and restaurant that also includes a gas station and convenience store. The Flannerys moved from Portland back to Caribou in 2016 shortly after having their second child.
Flannery said he moved to Portland in 1997 when he was about 14 years old.
“My dad got laid off, so he went out to Portland and started building gas stations and car washes,” he said. “So we all moved down there as a family. I went through high school there, and I grew up working for my dad in the gas station industry.”
He attended college in Boston as well as the University of Maine at Orono, which is where he met his now wife Andrea, also a Caribou native.
“We got married in Portland and had our first kid, and decided to move back up by the time we just had our second kid,” he said.
Throughout his time in Portland, Flannery said he always wanted to come back to The County, and that the birth of his second child inspired him to make the move.
“I felt like it would be a better place to raise the kids and start a family, and I’ve always wanted to come back,” he said.
He said that while his time in Portland was a great experience, it could be a little too much at times.
“It could turn into a rat race, and plus I’ve always wanted to have my own business,” he said. “Having experience in the gas station industry helps, and I’d like to make this place a family environment, a good place for my kids to work and grow up.”
He said he found out about the store through talking to realtors, and that his current plans are to keep everything running normally, and possibly implementing “little tweaks” in the future.
Flannery said The County feels the same to him as it did in his early childhood, and that the location is exactly what he wanted.
“Even if it wasn’t the same, I was still going to come back here,” he said. “I enjoy all four seasons. I snowmobile in the winter, I hunt in the fall, and I’m up at the lake in the summer. And the beauty of Aroostook County is — I’m sure people have said this before — but this is God’s Country.”
Since traffic jams are extremely rare throughout most of Aroostook County, Flannery said northern Maine allows him to travel more efficiently.
“I’m 36, and time is more valuable to me at this point in my life,” he said. “My family and time are important to me. It’s nice having less time on the road traveling or dealing with useless stuff.”
He officially purchased the business on Dec. 13.
“There’s a lot of moving parts, a lot of vendors and employees,” he said. “There’s a lot that people don’t see when it comes to running a store and a bar.”
For now, he said he plans to continue operating under the name Access 89, adding that he may consider naming the bar “Flannery’s” in the future.
“I have a lot to keep me going for now, though. I want to keep everything operating and functioning as it was for the time being,” he said.
Flannery said he’s especially grateful for the help of Aroostook Savings and Loan and the Northern Maine Development Commission, adding that “if it wasn’t for them, I wouldn’t be here.”
Having been back in The County with his family for three years, Flannery fully stands by his decision to move back up north.
“If you want a relaxing, stress-free experience, and to get away from it all and unplug, this is the place to do it,” he said.
