A day in Sanford

A few of us Mainebiz editorial types headed to Sanford on April 25 for the second stop in the On the Road with Mainebiz series. We'll be making six stops around the state this year to meet and greet with business owners and readers (our first stop was Bangor).

The event was held at the Town Club, located on the fourth floor of the old Sanford Trust building, built by the Goodalls. Sanford business leaders’ pride in the facility was obvious. Many remarked how the club was built by former mill owners as an, ahem, gentlemen’s club for their top executives. The circa 1915 charm oozed from every wood-paneled corner. As our publisher, Donna Brassard, commented at the event, we felt very Mad Men-y. (If you haven't seen Mad Men, the AMC show about New York City ad men in the 1960s, you can check out past seasons on Netflix). 

Buzzers that were used to give advance warning of any raid were still on the walls. And see that round seat behind me and Events & Marketing Manager Jenna Grant? Word was that they used to open up back in the day so the men could stash their booze when the Prohibition cops showed up. We didn't check to see if anything had been left behind...

The building has fabulous views, allowing its original patrons to look down on their mill empires.

Current patrons can enjoy looking at brightly painted buildings.

The facility is now home to Above and Beyond Catering, which providing some mouth-watering treats for our event, like these egg rolls.

As we do at every On the Road event, we organized a roundtable discussion with area readers to get their feedback on Mainebiz and talk about story ideas. During the talk, they lamented the town's lack of highway access, which they believe puts it just out of reach of prospective businesses and residents. However, leaders boasted about the town’s blue-collar work ethic, saying that more workers at the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard call Sanford home.

As many business owners commented, Sanford struggles with many of the same issues as other towns that were once reliant on mills. But Sanford is poised for a rebound, with the Goodall Mill slated to be renovated into 36 market-rate condominiums with 23,000 square feet of commercial space and a new high school/vocational center.

We'll be in Rockland next week, on the 17th. Will we see you there? Click here to register! 

You can see more photos from the Sanford reception here.