Ed Herr sees the sale of his junk store in Woolwich as part of the changing character of U.S. Route 1, which from Kittery to the midcoast has been a mecca for tourists who like to stop at Maine’s eclectic small shops.
Ed’s Stuff, which sold for $190,000 on Aug. 2 after 16 years in business, will give way to a recreational marijuana shop, one of three the town allows to be located on a one-mile stretch just north of the Sagadahoc Bridge across the Kennebec River from Bath.
His closure follows that of another Route 1 icon, Big Al’s in Wiscasset, a discount store that shuttered at the end of 2021. Both were victims of pandemic restrictions that hampered business. Herr also received a cancer diagnosis that made it difficult for him to continue in the store.
“It just got to where the people weren’t there,” Herr said.
Ed’s Stuff included more than 1,700 square feet of what he advertised as “recycled goods, old and very old, and if I don’t have it, you don’t need it.”
His inventory, gleaned from yard sales, the internet and fishermen dropping off old buoys instead of taking them to the dump, spilled outside almost to the road, where used toilets, boats, sleds and all manner of items greeted visitors as they drove north over the bridge.
Nearby businesses and residents had mixed reactions to the closure of the store, which is one of the first Woolwich businesses visible after crossing the bridge.
Kathy Missal, owner of the Recycling Retro store next to Ed’s Stuff, welcomed the marijuana shop, because other weed stores in town are well lit and well kept, so she sees the new shop as an improvement over the odds and ends outside at Ed’s Stuff.
“Tourists stopped there to take photos because he had all the buoys and license plates out there,” she said. “They weren’t shopping. They just wanted a Maine shop with all kinds of stuff outside.”
Davis Carver, owner of nearby Bath Cycle & Ski, said Herr is a “sweetheart of a guy” who often gave away pots, pans and other items to local people who didn’t have much.
“He dealt with a real cross section of people,” he said. “You have the local people and the tourists searching for treasures, and he probably didn’t have much of those.”
Carver questioned whether three marijuana shops are needed in such a small area, with his store sandwiched between two of them. The shop had been home to a gas station, butcher shop, several different convenience stores and other businesses over the years before Ed’s Stuff moved in.
“It’s been a business that has made downtown Woolwich interesting,” said state Rep. Allison Hepler, D-Woolwich, who is also a member of the town’s select board. “I’m happy the building will remain.”
For Herr, closing the shop is full of bittersweet memories. After serving in the Navy, he worked as a design agent at Gibbs & Cox, a naval architecture firm that had a location in Bath.
When it closed, he expanded his weekend gig selling recycled goods at Fort Andross in Brunswick to the shop in Woolwich, which was occupied by another junk seller. He said a leaky roof damaged some of the previous owner’s goods, which were in boxes for customers to rummage through rather than on shelves.
“His junk wasn’t good, so I got rid of it and put in my stuff, which is usable,” he said.
Over the years, Herr accumulated oil lamps, dishes, old tools and coins, with buoys and license plates being the big sellers. He also caned old chairs. Sales were modest at about $3,000 every three months, but he enjoyed talking to customers, some of whom brought him coffee or chili dogs from the nearby Dairy Queen. The highlight for him was when his grandchildren came to visit.
“I let them run the store,” he said.
After the sale, which turned over the store “as is” with all of its contents, the new owners are trying to sell his “stuff” in bulk or put it into the dumpster now sitting next to the shop, he said.
“It’s hard to give up and let go,” he said. “When I drive past it, I get a lump in my throat.”
Be the first to comment