CAPE ELIZABETH — Rosemont Market & Bakery will open its sixth shop – and first south of Portland – on Shore Road in November.
General Manager Dan Roche said the company bought the first floor at 537 Shore Road, at the end of Cottage Road in South Portland, for just under $400,000 in early spring.
According to Roche, no major renovations will be made to the interior of the building. The new store will be modeled after Rosemont’s existing locations, which are on Brighton Avenue, Commercial Street, Congress Street and Pine Street in Portland, and Main Street in Yarmouth.
The three-story building, originally a trolley stop, is now owned by Trolley Stop LLC. The group formed in February and bought the property in March.
Mike Friedland, who co-owns the property, estimated that the sale to Rosemont will be completed by the end of the month.
Rosemont’s head in-house butcher, Carlos Tirado, will manage the Shore Road location. Tirado grew up in Willard Square, South Portland, and said he and his family have always envisioned having a shop near the South Portland-Cape Elizabeth border.
“We’re excited to be a part of that neighborhood and offer the people of South Portland and Cape Elizabeth local products and … animals for all of their dinner desires,” Tirado said.
Tirado will continue to manage meat production for the company.
“I’ll be butchering animals in Cape Elizabeth, but we’ll still do production in (our) Commercial Street (location),” he said.
Friedland said the top two floors of the building will be converted into three residential condominiums. Construction of the top two floors and the exterior of the building is being done by nearby Willard Square Home Repair.
“It’s not major construction, mostly aesthetics,” Friedland said. He said work has begun and he anticipates the residences going on the market in October.
Tirado said he doesn’t expect Rosemont’s close proximity to existing food businesses – Terra Cotta Pasta Co. in South Portland and The Cookie Jar in Cape Elizabeth – to create any competitive angst.
“We offer a very specific product,” he said. “I don’t think we’ll step on the toes of Terra Cotta or The Cookie Jar.”
Tirado joked that the only issue might be his ability to limit his “doughnut intake” from The Cookie Jar.
Rosemont sells packaged, prepared and fresh foods, wine, and baked goods through its markets and wholesale customers. The company was established in 2005 and employs more than 75 people.
He said the company has already hired three full-time employees for the new shop, and hopes to hire local kids for part-time counter and cashier service, and to be “faces for the neighborhood niche.”
“My hope is that we can just add to the neighborhood,” Tirado said. “I think it’s the perfect location for people to stop in for (whatever) they need.”
Jocelyn Van Saun can be reached at 781-3661, ext. 183 or jvansaun@theforecaster.net. Follow her on Twitter @JocelynVanSaun.
Rosemont Market & Bakery will open it’s sixth shop on the first floor at 537 Shore Road in Cape Elizabeth. The two floors above the market are being renovated as residential condominiums.
Send questions/comments to the editors.
