LINCOLNVILLE — When your heart lives in two places, and you're blessed to be able to physically live in either location as circumstances demand or desire calls, eventually the time comes when you must make a choice. Growing children want to stay with their classmates, the packing and unpacking becomes tedious, and the need to make certain dreams come true can't be ignored. For Briar and Jon Fishman, the desire to finally put down permanent roots and claim a hometown came, and they chose Lincolnville over Burlington, Vt.

Many people know that Jon is a co-founder and the drummer for the band Phish. The couple and their five children live a pretty laid back, but farm-busy life on a quirky piece of land with rolling hills and pastures suited more for blueberries and apple trees than vegetable crops. They also have sheep and cows, and a horse and chickens too. They own and operate Elderflower Farm, a berry, fruit and animal farm producing raw milk and dairy products, along with certified organic berries and eggs.

More importantly to the townspeople and those who pass through Lincolnville center for daily commutes is that the Fishmans own the former Lincolnville Center General Store and the former Grandpa Hall's Antiques building across the street. Well, they did, then they didn't, and now they do again.

And that's just part of why it's taken five years to get work on renovating and revitalizing the store seriously underway. If all goes as planned now, and with the help of consultant, turned general manager/partner Ladleah Dunn, the goal is for a soft opening in March 2017 and a grand reopening two months later, around Memorial Day.

Five years in the making

The winding history of the past five years is that the Fishman's bought the closed store in 2011 with a plan to renovate it and reopen it a year later. But when Phish got back together, band rehearsals were once again in Vermont so the family made the decision to focus on Jon's work and move back to Burlington.

Briar said that for the most part, she figured she would give up the idea of farming and just be with her children. But when they moved back to their home in Vermont, two weeks later a piece of land came on the market and her idea of no longer farming flew out the window.

"We thought that since his work was really based out of Vermont, it would make more sense for us to simplify, and keep the property in Lincolnvilles and farm in Vermont instead, and not invite too much chaos into our world," said Briar. "It became obvious though, that this specific place on earth, this school, this community, Lincolnville had by then become our home."

Prior to the 2011 purchase of the general store, the Fishmans had lived in Lincolnville for about six years. And they knew that their farm had the potential to be sustainable, if they focused on working the blueberry barrens. It was something that nagged at Briar, but in a good way.

"We realized we could, in time, provide enough income to sustain the farm. We don't live extravagantly, and so that was all anybody could ever ask for. And Phish would operate, and we would have our blueberry farm," said Briar. "And we came back, and the kids had their school and their friends and all of us felt good."

Except that Briar still really wanted to own the General Store. She had a vision of what it could be, and how it could serve the community. But at that point, it wasn't for sale. They had sold it to Jeremy and Marcie Howard, who were deep in the process of doing the renovations that the Fishmans once thought they would be doing

As it turns out though, Briar said she pushed aside her hesitation to inquire and mentioned to Jeremy that they might be interested in purchasing it back, if the Howards were interested in selling it.

"Jeremy said, 'I think we might be ready to let go of the store,'" said Briar. "And so for the next couple of months we waited, then they decided they were ready, I jumped for joy and we signed papers."

After buying the store back from the Howards, the Fishmans worked with two builders, including Phi Home Design.

But out a discovery of lead in their home caused a set back. The Fishman’s spent four months back in Vermont during the remediation of their home, literally packing up and leaving town after they discovered lead contamination in their youngest son.

Extremely frustrated by the lead issue that hit much too close to home for their family, they almost let the store go yet again. From their home in Vermont, it all seemed so overwhelming, and Briar said Jon "wanted everything in Maine sold."

"The whole time we were in Vermont again, I was trying to figure out how to make the blueberries work to keep the farm, without having to rent the place out for weddings or something. And then the store hit the market for sale for one day, the sign went up for one day, and I flipped out and I was like, 'take the sign down, it's not for sale, we'll figure something out.'"

Coming home

So they came back to Maine. They spent the summer of 2014 at the farm, they harvested nearly 10,000 pounds of organic blueberries and the kids were adamant that they were headed to school in Lincolnville that fall. And they did.

Also upon their return, and working with Ladleah as their consultant, Cold Mountain Builders was next hired to begin work on the renovation project and the Fishmans and Ladleah couldn't be happier.

All the moving back and forth, even when they thought they had finally settled in Maine for good, didn't deter the couple from what they knew in their hearts they really wanted. What the family needed.

"We had never really established home, I think, and then between that period of moving around and when we bought the store, the vision for what it was going to be came together at the same time as the Lincolnville Library coming together and the Farmer's Market," said Briar. "And all that stuff really imprinted on us more than what we had known... that community really can be something, the village really can be something that raises your family. This is that village for us."

Briar said that now, given all the ups and downs they have been through in realizing the dream of reopening and providing Lincolnville with a real general store, the time is just what it should be.

"When you start from the ground up, and you choose everything - even the stencils on the walls - you are casting a spell of intent and every bit of energy you put into it matters. It all just, now, feels so good. The time is good. And here we are now, even making cheeses, and I don't think we would have been doing that before. But we all are so creative and needed these outlets," said Briar.

Hammering out the plan

For Briar and Ladleah, the underlying theme of the store is "we all need each other."

Ladleah's role on the project began as a consultant, based on her vast experience in the food industry. She has worked at many food businesses in the Midcoast, including cooking on schooners and boats, running the logistics for the Hurricane Island School's multiple island bases and with restaurants.

She was charged with crafting a business plan to take to the bank, and said that the bank vice president was impressed with the plan.

She wasn't bragging, but rather credits being self-employed and starting her first business with her husband when they were both 23 years old. It's been a lot of trial and error, and they have learned how to adapt.

"I have all of not only this food business experience, but organizational experience with me. And having worked in a number of food businesses around here, I would put my heart and soul into it and not necessarily feel I was getting anything back. And it was not in our community and I wanted to give back to our community," she said. "I began offering my insight and opinions, but the more I got involved, the more in love with the project I became. And so one day, I said, 'I don't think I can hand this off to somebody else.' It dawned on me that I can't just walk from this thing that we've been collectively birthing into reality."

In addition to the food industry and business experience she brings to the Fishman's project, Ladleah’s role on the Lincolnville Board of Selectman comes into play with the project as well.

"Being responsible for 2,200 other people's tax dollars, it gets real, fast, you know," she said. "I don't take any financial commitment lightly at all. Any thought, any decision, any program, it's as if it was my own money I'm spending. It's a serious commitment and I do feel all the years in business, we made the decision that we wanted to commit to be self-employed and over that time, you learn some stuff along the way."

The project has been moving along at a steady pace, and there were a lot of things that had to be done before they could actually begin working on the building itself. There was contaminated soil and contaminated oil tanks to deal with, asbestos and lead paint to remove, and finally, a new well to dig.

Ladleah said, "It's a little like municipal government. People look at it and don't think anything is happening, but really for two years we have been working feverishly to address all of the problems that have accumulated over the years, and do it right and affordable too."

Ladleah said the need for a new well was discovered during the early phases of the remediation work. And the new well is especially important, because while the store had water, it didn't have enough.

She said that with any previous business plan, without committing to the new water plan the Fishman's committed to, they couldn't have had any food produced on site.

"It's fantastic that Briar and Jon were committed to getting the absolute fundamentals done the right way," said Ladleah.

"And that's where we are with time. Had we moved ahead earlier, without knowing to get or getting the well, we would have been doomed. And then we would have been trying to figure out how to get a new well later," said Briar. "We never wanted to do it in phases, but in completely the right order and financially sustainable. It doesn't work if Phish has to subsidize it."

She also said, "Another important thing for me is that the business is sustainable by the community, not by summer traffic. So many businesses depend on making all their money during the summer, and then they sustain, or close for the winter, and that is not the way to exist for our local customers."

A peek inside

Their goal for the new General Store will be to carry a little bit of everything, lean a little more toward organic than your typical general store, use local sources and produce as much of the food as possible in-house.

"The long and the short of the General Store is that it's going to be a true general store. You can come in and get tampons or toilet paper or dish soap or a kicking lasagna to take home and heat up," said Ladleah.

They also plan to have as many store-made products as possible, including prepared food items, condiments, jams, jellies, pastas.

Briar said that for her, being a mom with five kids, she wants a place to do one-stop shopping, where she can also take them on the way to soccer practice or dance or school and just run in and get them something they can eat with their hands. "You don't want to be eating on the go, but if you have to, you want what's good and what can be eaten quickly."

There will be pizza delivery, and potentially groceries if customers are willing to pay for it. And they certainly work to offer the delivery service to elderly or handicapped community members.

Looking at the store layout, Briar the entire first floor will be retail, with a couple of cafe tables in the windows up front where customers can sit with a cup of soup or coffee, use the WIFI and check email. The basement will be for dry storage, a root cellar, food preparation and baking, and dish washing.

At the back of the store will be a wood-fired brick oven, built by Maine Wood Heat, with a counter and a few stools for customers to sit and chat while waiting for their pizza order.

Outside, there will be a covered porch, with some seating for people to socialize.

Briar said there have been some people voicing concern that what the General Store is doing will put someone else out of business.

"Most markets don't just sell their own stuff," said Briar. "It takes the community to stock the shelves and we will be working with not only local farmers, but local bakers, local artisans and craftspeople.”

Ladleah said that they are emphasizing a whole desire to network with people in Lincolnville and the local area to highlight what they do best.

"You have to treat it like an ecosystem, in which we all need each other and we all have our special job and our special purpose and we can rely on each other to lift each other up and be our best selves. And no judging, because how are we to know what you need in your life and your job and your relationships?," said Ladleah.

Briar said she learned at one point, that forging forward with "positivity" is a lot harder than slogging around in the muck.

"But once you say, I'm going to push that boulder, and I don't care how fast it goes, or if it goes nowhere, I'm still pushing. And then you think of all these people coming together and saying, yeah, right, and then, boom, it's off and rolling on its own. That's why we love it here. Those things are already happening here," Briar said.

Lincolnville Center General Store
Mission Statement

The Lincolnville Center General Store will sell the best quality food, groceries, and sundries to support our community, farmers, artisans, and producers from Maine and beyond. We strive to use local and responsibly sourced products and ingredients in our breads, pizzas, prepared foods, and goods on the shelves to provide a friendly, warm, and comfortable atmosphere.

Reach Editorial Director Holly S. Edwards at hollyedwards@penbaypilot.com at 207-706-6655.