Business owners hope to serve community with new appliance store in Limestone

LIMESTONE, Maine — With a new Main Street storefront, friends and business partners Frank Beal and Adam Peckham aim to expand their appliance sales and repair services to people in Limestone and surrounding communities.

NorStar Appliance, which officially opened this past spring, offers used washing machines, dryers, refrigerators, microwave and toaster ovens, TVs and appliance accessories as well as in-home repairs.

Beal and Peckham have known each other for several years and originally operated their business out of Beal’s backyard and stored appliances at a local facility. But demand for their services grew to the point where they decided to open a storefront.

A New York native, Beal has been in the appliance repair business for 32 years. He and Peckham, who is from Rhode Island, regularly make repair stops throughout Aroostook County, including as far south as Houlton and as far east as Portage Lake. 

Beal speculates that the small number of appliance stores in Aroostook and the COVID-19 delays in larger chain stores’ stock has led many people to seek out NorStar.

“People always need their appliances repaired. That’s one need that endures,” Beal said. “Some days Adam and I will get up at 5 (a.m.) and be on the road until around 7:30 or 8:00 at night.”

In the future, Beal and Peckham hope to expand to a larger store location and hire more salespeople to handle business during their repair trips. Currently NorStar employs four people, including Beal and Peckham and two salespeople.

Peckham said that NorStar’s ability to sell appliances that are used but in good condition offers customers a financial alternative to chain stores.

“A lot of people can’t afford new appliances, so we want to offer a more cost-effective option,” Peckham said.

At the end of the day, Beal and Peckham most enjoy the rewards of helping people get their appliances up and running again.

“The people we’ve worked with are the best part of the job, especially when we can help someone out of a tough situation,” Beal said. “Most people are very happy with what we’re able to do for them.”