Rabelais owner Don Lindgren at his Biddeford store in 2020. Lindgren is closing the store after Labor Day. Ben McCanna/Staff Photographer
Rabelais, Biddeford’s renowned food-focused bookstore, is closing in early September after 12 years, owner Don Lindgren said.
Lindgren’s roughly 4,000-square-foot store in the Pepperell Mill campus houses one of the country’s largest collections of rare cookbooks. Rabelais has about 20,000 items in its inventory, between food-centric books and culinary ephemera like historic menus. Lindgren said most of the material will go into storage, while he’ll take the rarest books and items he needs to work with immediately to his home in Alfred.
“It’s something I’ve been thinking about for a long time,” Lindgren said, noting that temporarily closing Rabelais during the pandemic gave him “proof of concept” for his decision to close for good. He found that he was able to conduct the core of his business effectively from home, pulling in similar revenue with fewer expenses.
Lindgren estimated that only 6% of his business comes from books he sells either in the store or online. Sales to private collectors or institutions like universities and libraries account for the remaining 94%, “and that’s the part of the business I love,” he said.
Closing the store will make Lindgren more available for book fairs and professional projects like scholarly writing. “I’m going to have more time to do many of the parts of the business that appeal to me more,” he said.
The closure also will give Lindgren time to expand the Rabelais website, rabelaisbooks.com. The site features about 1,500 books, and he hopes to increase the inventory to as many as 5,000 titles.
Lindgren first opened Rabelais on Middle Street in Portland (the spot is now Eventide Oyster) before moving to the Biddeford space in 2011.
The store’s last day will be Sept. 4. Until then, Rabelais will be open Thursday through Monday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. All items under $1,000 will be 30 percent off, Lindgren said,
Though he expects to remain a regular presence in town, Lindgren said he will miss being based in Biddeford.
“Biddeford has been great,” he said. “It’s changed so much in the last 12 years, and I’m glad we had some role to play in it.”
NEW OWNERS FOR LITTLE TAP HOUSE
West End gastropub Little Tap House was sold last week to new owners, who have plans to tweak the menu in the coming weeks.
Chef and new co-owner Adam Goodwin, along with his father, Tim, took over Little Tap House last Wednesday. Previous owner Lee Goyette first opened Little Tap House at 106 High St. in March 2013.
Adam Goodwin said he had been working as a temporary chef at Little Tap House in May when Goyette let him know she was selling the business. Chef Goodwin has cooked at Local 188 and 33 Elmwood in Westbrook, and was most recently head chef at Batson River Brewing & Distilling in Portland.
Goodwin said he and his father have no big changes planned for Little Tap House this season. “We’re slowly rolling out menu changes, trying to go toward bistro-style fare, with an emphasis on sharing, as opposed to the pub-style food that’s been there for a while now,” he said, noting that they’ve already added an arancini dish and a risotto entree to the menu.
“We’re just trying to get some nice, new young energy into the space and revamp it just a little bit,” Goodwin explained. “It’s a great location with great regulars and clientele already, so we’re not trying to do anything too major. Simple, approachable food done well is what we’re going for.”
Little Tap House is open Tuesday through Saturday, 4-9 p.m.
BOW STREET BEVERAGE COMES TO WELLS
Bow Street Beverage opened its second location last week, this one in Wells.
Store manager Janine Kerr said the Wells location, at 655 Post Road, had a soft opening Thursday. The store is open every day, Monday through Saturday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Kerr expects the shop will stay open later in the near future, as soon as they can secure sufficient staffing.
The new store is located in the former Cannon Towel Outlet building, a massive space that stretches more than 7,000 square feet. “It is a huge store,” Kerr said. “You walk in and you think it’s large, and then you actually go to the back and turn the corner and there’s a whole other section to it.”
Bow Street is still waiting on its liquor license for the new location. Nevertheless, they’ve already filled the store with “pretty much every wine and beer you could imagine,” Kerr said, along with hard seltzers, ciders, pre-made cocktails, non-alcoholic beverages and snacks.
The store also carries a small amount of beach gear, merchandise from local breweries, bar supplies, and a selection of bitters and mixers. “Everything from the spirits department except the actual spirits,” Kerr joked, noting that the Bow Street team is working “feverishly” to get the liquor license.
The first Bow Street Beverage opened on Forest Avenue in Portland in 2018. Bow Street Market, a full grocery store with a quality collection of beer, wine and spirits, has been a presence in Freeport since 1946. The Nappi family bought it in 1974.
Kerr said the company is looking to expand statewide, and saw an opportunity in Wells.
“We’re really excited about this location,” Kerr said. “We think it’ll be an excellent fit for the community, and we’re happy to be in Wells.”
LAMBS LAUNCHES IN SOPO
Outdoor seating along the Fore River at Lambs, a new bar in South Portland. Courtesy of Lambs
Lambs, a new South Portland bar, opened last week on Broadway next to (the also new, at least to South Portland) Night Moves Bread.
Located in a former automotive repair garage at 695 Broadway, Lambs is perched on the edge of the Fore River. The venue has about 1,500 square feet of space with seating for 70, and outdoor picnic table seating for more than 100.
Lambs beverage program includes a selection of cocktails, natural wines by the glass and local beers, along with sandwiches and snacks. Owner Wade Ritchey said the business is partnering with Night Moves to use its bread in the bar’s sandwiches, and expects the menu will expand in coming weeks to include oysters, more sandwiches and small plates.
Ritchey signed the lease in March 2022, and has been working since then to overhaul the space.
Lambs is open Wednesday through Friday from 3:30 p.m. to 12 a.m. and Saturday and Sunday from noon to 12 a.m.
“We’re seeing so far that we’re very much a neighborhood spot,” Ritchey said. “We’re having a lot of customers come in very excited we’re here. We feel welcomed to the neighborhood, and it’s really what I was hoping for.”
40-MILE FOOD FESTIVAL IN BRUNSWICK
The 40-Mile Food Festival, an event celebrating hyper-local foods around Brunswick, is set for Sunday.
Vendors at the festival will feature samples of food from farms, chefs and food producers located within a 40-mile radius of Brunswick. Vessel + Vine will offer a cash bar of local beverages.
Proceeds from the event will support the Maine Coast Fishermen’s Association and the Brunswick Topsham Land Trust.
The festival runs from 1-4 p.m. at the Lemont Block, 2 Pleasant St., with The Ole Dusties playing live music. VIP tickets for $25 allow access to the festival at 1 p.m., while $15 general admission ticket holders may enter at 2 p.m.
Tickets are available online.
COMMON GROUND COUNTRY FAIR FAST APPROACHING
The 47th Common Ground Country Fair returns to Unity in September, with 17 new food vendors.
Hosted by the Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association, the fair is scheduled for Sept. 22-24. The event features hundreds of exhibitors and activities focused on sustainable living, from fiber arts to green building, along with live music, kids’ games and organic food from around the state.
Speakers at this year’s fair include Full Plates Full Potential board member Ryan Parker, Maliseet Indian Tribal Chief Clarissa Sabattis, and farmer and mental health advocate Jaclyn Wypler.
“We are thankful to have 520 exhibitors, 630 educational talks, and over 80 local music events to share with you this year,” fair director April Bouchard said in a statement. The 17 new food vendors bring this year’s food vendor total to 50, while a yoga tent is another new attraction.
Tickets are on sale at MOFGA’s website. Advance pricing – available until Sept. 21 – is $15 for adults, $12 for elders, $12 for youth, and free for children 12 and under and people with disabilities.
Send questions/comments to the editors.
