Maine's Progressive Business 2011

Maine’s Progressive Business Cyan Magenta Yellow Black


2 | BANGOR DAILY NEWS - MAINE’S PROGRESSIVE BUSINESS | Friday | January 14, 2011

By David M. FitzpatrickBDN SPECIAL SECTIONS

Of all the ice-harvesting com-panies that existed in Maine inthe late 1800s in Maine, todayonly Getchell Bros. survives. Inthe late 1880s, there were about80 ice companies on the Penob-scot and Kennebec Rivers, withPenobscot-based companiesmaintaining icehouses betweenBangor and Bucksport. One ice-man listed in the 1889 MaineBusiness Directory was GeorgeW. Getchell of Brewer. PerhapsGeorge stoked the minds of hissons, Frederick and JohnCalvin, into entering the icebusiness, which they did in1888, when Calvin was 14 andFred 15. They formed GetchellBros., initially working out oftheir home on Maple Street inBrewer.

Right away, the brothers didthings differently. Where otherice dealers delivered ice coveredin dirt and sawdust, the broth-ers became the first dealers towash their ice first. The businesssoon added woods of all kinds“prepared and in the stick,” asadvertised in 1895, and coal by1899.

As New York’s Charles andHudson Rivers became polluted,Maine ice became more popular.But the Penobscot was also pol-luted, so the brothers securedexclusive rights to cut ice aboveBull’s Eye Bridge on the muchcleaner Kenduskeag Stream. In1903 the company proudlyadvertised “Bull’s Eye BridgePure ‘Washed’ Ice.”

By 1904, after just 16 years inbusiness, the brothers’ plant inBrewer could hold 8,000 tons ofice, and their Kenduskeag plantcould store 7,000. By then,they’d gotten out of coal, and

delivered ice with 24 horsespulling 12 wagons.

RReeffrriiggeerraattiioonn CCoooollsstthhee IIccee BBuussiinneessss

When businesses began invest-ing in refrigeration, many icesuppliers folded due to reduceddemand. Getchell Bros. pickedup the slack and diversified. Itformed a brick division in 1906in a 34-acre brickyard on BlakeStreet in Brewer. Annual produc-tion was 3 million bricks peryear, a hefty percentage of theMaine brick industry, which hadpeaked at 93 million bricks in1889 but was waning. By 1909,Getchell Bros. no longer soldwood.

By 1912, the company hadrelocated to 44 Oak Street inBangor; the bricks were gone by1919. The company began deliv-ering to residences as well asbusinesses by 1921. Deliverymenbegan work around 2 a.m. at theOak Street barn, getting theirhorse teams on the road to theicehouses beyond Bull’s EyeBridge by 2:45. They’d load theircarts with 24-26 ice blocks of200-250 pounds each, and returnto town by 6 a.m. They deliveredfirst to restaurants, then homes.Residents left white cards in theirwindows: A card on end meant toleave a small block; on its longedge, a large block. Deliverymenchopped the ice to size right intheir wagons, and the ice lastedfour or five days.

The men worked six-dayweeks and some half-days onSunday to cover the restaurants.They sometimes worked 100-hour weeks with no overtimepay, earning $4 a day in the win-ter and $3 a day in the summer.Eventually, Getchell Bros.replaced their stable of 50 horsesand wagons with 10 Ford ModelT trucks.

More of the Getchell familybecame involved through the1920s and 1930s. Fred andCalvin’s sisters, Mattie and Olive,became bookkeepers. Mattie hadworked there in grade school,and became assistant treasurer by1936, on her way to a 62-yearcareer at the company.

CCoonnssttaanntt RReeiinnvveennttiioonnDuring the Great Depression,

the company marketed itself withslogans like “Not just ice butservice” in 1933 and “Save withice and give local men employ-ment” in 1934. In 1935, the com-pany began selling Cooleratoriceboxes, and the following year,when nephew Ralph Getchell Jr.joined the business as a salesman,the company began heavily pro-moting “ice and refrigeration.” By1937, its advertisement pro-claimed, “Nothing protects foodflavor like ice refrigeration.”

But true compressor-basedrefrigeration didn’t happen until1946 with the new manufactur-ing plant at 1 Union Street inBrewer. World War II had endedwith Ralph Jr. the manager atGetchell Bros. and, with the com-pany diversifying into fuel andrange oils, its new plant couldproduce 60 tons of ice daily. Thecompany harvested its last natu-ral ice in February 1954.

In 1952, the company broughtin business veteran Walter Cross-man as treasurer. Crossman’scareer as a wood dealer datedback nearly 50 years, and he’dalso served as the treasurer forGraham Clothing Co. in Bangorfrom 1933 until his 1944 retire-ment. He came out of retirementto work at Getchell Bros., thecompany’s first and only non-family investor. Crossman pro-vided cash that helped keep thecompany alive.

Around 1958, after 70 years at

the helm, Fred and J. Calvinretired, and Ralph Jr. bought thecompany. In 1964, the companybought Barton’s Venetian Blinds,

which had been in business sinceabout 1947. That year, WillardFarnham, who had marriedRalph’s daughter Louise, joined

the business, overseeing theblinds division.

Getchell Bros.: 123 years making freezing-cold ice a red-hot commodity

PHOTOS COURTESY OF RICHARD SHAW

Top: In the early days, Getchell Bros. delivered ice in wagons. The iceman’s tools of the tradeincluded ice tongs and an ice pick. The icemen chopped ice into blocks for customers. Thisphoto is from the early 1900s. Above: Rows of ice-delivery trucks and deliverymen pose out-side the Oak Street, Bangor office of Getchell Bros. This was after the company replaced alltheir horses and wagons with trucks.

NEWS PHOTO BY DAVID M. FITZPATRICK

Jamie Wood, who has worked at Getchell Bros. for 10 years, pulls ice from the bagger and stacks it on pallets in earlyDecember 2010. Human hands never touch the ice during the manufacturing process. This is a slow winter day for the com-

pany, which produces as much ice in one hot July day as it does in the entire month of January.

This supplement was producedand published by the

Editor/Layout:David M. Fitzpatrick

Writers:David M. Fitzpatrick, Greg Westrich

Photos:Some photos by David M. Fitzpatrick and BangorDaily news staff. Others were provided by RichardShaw or the featured businesses, or acquired from

historical texts.

CCoovveerr DDeessiiggnn:: Michele Prentice

SSaalleess:: Jeff Orcutt

If you’d like to celebrate the longevity of yourbusiness in next year’s Maine’s Progressive

Business supplement, or if you’d like to create atargeted Special Section for your organization,

contact Jeff Orcutt at (207) 990-8036or [email protected].

See GETCHELL, Page 6


BANGOR DAILY NEWS - MAINE’S PROGRESSIVE BUSINESS | Friday | January 14, 2011 | 3


In 1959, it was rare for awoman to start a business. Nowimagine a woman starting a busi-ness in 1959 that’s still flourish-ing in 2011. That’s exactly thecase with Marlene Thomas.

After high school, Thomasmoved to New York City tostudy at the prestigious StellaAdler Studio of Acting, whichhad schooled the likes of Mar-lon Brando. After some timethere, while doing some model-ing and summer-stock theater,Thomas decided not to pursueHollywood stardom after all,and returned to Maine to settledown.

In Bangor, her mother ran abeauty salon, which in those dayshad specific uniforms, much likerestaurant waitresses and nurses.But the beauticians had troublefinding them. Her mother sug-gested she open a uniform shop,and Thomas took her advice.

“I didn’t realize when I openedthe shop that it was anything fora woman to have a business, butyou didn’t see that 52 years ago,”she said.

Thomas opened Marlene’sUniform Shop on HammondStreet across from the YMCA,but trouble struck the followingyear: the place flooded, ruiningeverything. She had to start allover again a few doors down, inpart of the Bangor Furniturebuilding.

Primarily, the store suppliedmedical workers, restaurant waitstaff, and beauticians in snug-fit-ting, starched outfits. There werefew men’s uniforms, aside fromkitchen workers’ aprons. Therestaurant business was big, withclients statewide.

TThhee CChhaannggiinngg TTiimmeessStyles changed, with poly-

ester blends eliminating theneed for starch. “As things

changed, you had to get withthe program or you’d be out ofbusiness,” she said.

Back then, it was a man’sworld, and Thomas wasn’t takenseriously. She tried to join thedowntown merchants’ associa-tion, but the man who headed itwasn’t interested because hethought her business wouldn’tlast. Ten years later, he decidedshe was there to stay. Those samechallenges were presented whenMarlene became just the secondfemale real-estate agent in thearea in the early 1970s, a supple-mental career she did for about10 years. In the beginning, sheoften wasn’t taken seriously inthe field.

But back to the 1960s. By 1965,Thomas moved to 108 Ham-mond Street, but that buildingsold a year and a half later. Onceagain, the young business had torelocate. There was no mall-areaoption then; Downtown Bangorwas the hub of business, but shecouldn’t find anywhere. Shefinally settled on a less-than-idealspot on the second floor of abuilding, over Laverdiere’s drugstore on Main Street. That washome for about eight years, untilshe had to move again due tourban renewal.

During that tenure, Thomassaw the biggest style change ofher life when women’s pantscame out of New York City. Shelearned of the radical idea from asalesman who stopped at herstore, telling her they were thenext big thing. But Thomas knewBangor was too conservative, andturned him down. Just a weeklater, she had to call him.

“I said, ‘I’ve had eight callsthis week from people that aretalking about the new uniformpantsuits — you’d better sendme some,’” she said. “[I] neverthought it would go over. Wehad to get with the programthere, too.”

In 1972, Thomas movedaround the corner to 72 Colum-

bia Street in 1972, where she’dstay for nearly two decades. Busi-ness boomed. By 1976, she hadexpanded the store’s offerings toinclude swimsuits. (This wasthanks to Thomas being one ofthe original members of the Dol-phins Synchronized Swim Team.When the team’s coachesreturned to New York after fouryears, Thomas took over theteam, renamed it the FlamingosSynchronized Swimming Group,and coached it for the next 32years.)

Entering into the swimsuitbusiness saw Thomas rename thebusiness Marlene’s Uniform andSwim Suit Shop. Marlene’s wasthe official Speedo dealer in thearea; thanks to Speedo-wearingswimmer Mark Spitz winningseven gold medals at the 1972Olympics, Speedo was popular.At its peak, the swimsuit crazeaccounted for half the store’sbusiness.

A second location came in1979, at the Twin City Plaza inBrewer, finding strong businesswith Canadian shoppers flockedthere for good uniform andswimsuit deals. That locationlasted until 1983. Meanwhile, sheopened a store in Portland, offCongress Street. She later soldthat store to an employee.

Around 1986, Marlene’sexpanded in Bangor, taking overthe adjacent space that had beenoccupied by Rita’s Beauty Salonsince 1958. The swimsuit crazedied down, and competitionfrom retail chains made themtougher sells, so by 1988 thecompany once again becameMarlene’s Uniform Shop.

Since 1993, Marlene’s hasenjoyed its location at the MaineSquare Mall, currently right nextto Bull Moose. Today, the storecarries a wide range of uniformsfor men and women, includingbig and tall sizes. In the medicalfield, scrubs are the big thing,and they aren’t the same utilitar-ian scrubs they used to be; now,

they’re fashionable and chic, with15 uniform lines. With more menin the health-care profession,male uniform scrubs and labcoats are big business. One of themost popular, stylish, and high-quality lines for men and womenis branded for the TV show“Grey’s Anatomy.”

AA FFaammiillyy AAffffaaiirrIt’s truly a family business.

Thomas’ husband, Philip, alwayshelped out at the store. After heretired, he took on a more activerole, doing daily paperwork,making deposits, and deliveringmerchandise. He died suddenly10 years ago. And Marlene’s sonand family, after years in thehotel business in Florida, movedto Portland and opened a uni-form shop.

Her daughter, Kim Dickinson,began helping at the store as ayoung girl. She recalled the timeher parents were renovating thenew Columbia Street location,and she was a bored 11-year-oldstuck there. Doodling on thebacks of business cards, shewrote on one “Help! I’m beingheld captive!” The next day, whena customer left the store with thecard and discovered the note, theBangor Police Departmentshowed up at the store withsearch dogs.

Embarrassing story aside,Dickinson worked the storethrough high school before mov-ing to Florida. She worked at auniform shop there for threeyears before returning to Maine,where she first worked selling forher mother in Portland beforemoving back to Bangor and tak-ing a more active role in runningthe business.

Dickinson spends much timeon the road, traveling with uni-forms to outlying medical facili-ties to take orders, which is veryconvenient for the clients, who

don’t have to take the time todrive to Bangor. “There’s alwayscompetition, and that’s why wetry not to sit back and wait forpeople to come into the store,”Dickinson said. “We try to go outand be convenient for [thosewho] are not in this area.”

Despite cheap competitioneverywhere, Dickinson says shehas inexpensive lines and is verycompetitive, with scrubs topsstarting at just nine dollars. “Wehave a price range for every-body,” Dickinson said.

The future of the companyseems secure, but Dickinsonknows she has to work hard everyday to get their products outthere and combat online-salesoutlets. She’d like to see smallbusinesses in Maine makestronger efforts to keep the busi-ness local instead of headingstraight for online venues on theassumption that it’s going to becheaper. They certainly won’t getthe same personal, one-on-oneservice, she says.

So how is it for Thomas hand-ing over the reins to her daugh-ter? “She’s become my mother,and that’s what’s hard for me,”she said. “But as long as I’m able,

I don’t want to completely giveup being at the shop.”

Marlene Thomas recentlyturned 79. Kim Dickinson is 47,and Brielle, her 10-year-olddaughter, who has spent much ofher childhood at the store, isalready eager to be a part of thefamily business.

“I bag clothes and check outcustomers,” said Brielle. “Some-times I answer the phone and taguniforms... I just like that myfamily owns a business, so I get tocome here and help a lot.”

She agreed that it was some-thing special that her grand-mother started a business 52years ago, when it wasn’t usualfor women to be in business, andis still running it today. And shesummed it all up quite nicely: “Ilove my grandmother.”

Brielle’s mother concurs. “I’mvery proud of my mother, of heraccomplishments — starting thebusiness when she did, when notmany women in that era wereworking, even, or having theirown businesses,” said Dickinson.“I’m just very proud of her, thatshe’s still working and loves whatshe does and that the business isstill going strong.”

Marlene’s Uniform Shop: 52 years, 3 generations of ‘uniform’ service

BDN PHOTO BY DAVID M. FITZPATRICK

Marlene Thomas (center), is the founder of Marlene’s Uniform Shop. At left is her grand-daughter Brielle Dickinson; at right is her daughter, Kim Dickinson.

BDN PHOTO BY DAVID M. FITZPATRICK

Brielle Dickinson, granddaughter of founder Marlene Thomas, hangs scrubs shirts on therack. At age 10, Brielle has already been helping out at Marlene’s Uniform Shop, and may

represent the third generation of her family to run the store. An ad from a 1960s Bangor City Directory.



By Greg Westrich

For 144 and 97 years respec-tively, the Bangor YMCA andYWCA Bangor Brewer were sep-arate organizations that served asleaders in promoting health andwellness for all in Greater Ban-gor. After a long collaborativehistory, the two organizationsjoined forces in 2004 and mergedin 2008. Now at one location at17 Second Street, the Bangor Ylooks forward to building on therich traditions of both organiza-tions to serve the community.

TThhee OOrriiggiinn oofftthhee BBaannggoorr YYMMCCAA

The Bangor Y’s roots date atleast to 1843 when GovernorEdward Kent and others formedthe Bangor Young Men’s BibleSociety. During the Civil War, itbanded together with similarorganizations to help alleviatethe suffering of the war.Impressed with national YMCAleaders they met on the battle-fields, several Society membersjoined with other citizens in May1867 to become the BangorYMCA. The organization offi-cially received its charter fromthe national YMCA on Jan. 1,1881.

In 1891, the Bangor YMCAopened its first dedicated build-ing at the corner of Court andHammond Streets. Over time,the building was renovated andexpanded to meet the communi-ty’s changing needs. The residen-cy program begun in 1890 waseventually eliminated, and newpools, a fitness center, racquetballcourts, and a climbing wall werelater added. The first Neighbor-hood Club was established in1946, a predecessor of the BangorY’s current Neighborhood Clubs.

The YMCA’s resident camp,Camp Jordan, begun in Enfieldin 1908, moved to the shores of

Branch Lake in Ellsworth in 1925where it continues today.

TThhee OOrriiggiinn oofftthhee YYWWCCAA

According to Julia Eaton’s his-tory of the Bangor-BrewerYWCA, “The First 75 Years,” theorganization was founded in1914, growing out of the Girls’Welfare Rooms, located aboveLufkin’s Confectionery, beguntwo years earlier. Bangor, still arough city, could be a dangerousplace for women travelling alone,but many young women weredrawn to Bangor’s employmentopportunities. YWCA TravelersAid representatives met youngwomen arriving by train or boatand escorted them safely to theYWCA where they could getroom, 15-cent dinners, andChristian instruction.

In 1918 the YWCA moved tothe Coe Building at the corner ofMain and Cross Sreets, whichprovided space for a large diningroom, kitchen, sleeping rooms,and a gym. When the Coe blockburned on February 13, 1927, thefire destroyed $1 million in realestate and the belongings of thewomen living at the YWCA.

The next day, the YWCA boardmet in space the YMCA provid-ed. The YMCA also providedprogram space, forming theorganizations’ first collaboration.In March, the YWCA rentedspace at 77 Columbia Street untila new YWCA building at Unionand Second Streets was complet-ed in 1929. During the Depres-sion, YWCA activities empha-sized services for women andgirls. There was an employmentagency, Traveler’s Aid, shelter,showers and baths, and readingrooms open to both women andmen. The YMCA providedaquatics programming from1935 until 1972, when the MeansPool was completed at theYWCA. Day care, after-school,

and teen programming were alsoadded at the YWCA and continuetoday.

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The missions of both theYWCA and the YMCA hadalways emphasized the connec-tion between spiritual and physi-cal health. Exercise and recre-ation were integral parts of theirprograms, and in the 1920scamping became an importantfactor. The YMCA had CampJordan, which the YWCA rentedin 1922 in Enfield and again in1927 at Branch Lake. In 1925, theYWCA rented Hooper’s Campson Phillips Lake for 12 girls. In1930 a YWCA summer campbegan in Sorrento, running for

nine seasons until moving toCamp Tanglewood in the Cam-den Hills in 1939.

After the 1970 season, thecamp closed. By then, day camp-ing had eclipsed resident camp-ing as the summer recreation ofchoice. The YMCA had built itsfirst day camp near where Ban-gor High School sits today in1944. Camp Prentiss later movedto Hampden and renamed CampG. Peirce Webber. In 1973, CampPrentiss held its first girls’ pro-gram, Camp Suvaca, and in 1974all Camp Prentiss programs wereco-ed. Today, day campers enjoyswimming, baseball, rope cours-es, archery, crafts, and more.

The first YWCA day camp washeld in 1943 at the YWCA facili-ty and used the YMCA pool. TheYWCA started Camp Goodtimes

in 1960 on Hurd Pond at the for-mer Girl Scout camp; five yearslater, it was renamed MollyMolasses. Campers ages 6-12were bussed from Bangor foractivities including swimming,canoeing, sailing, camp crafts,cookouts, and hiking. The campmoved to its present location onChemo Pond in the late 1970s.Camp Discovery, later calledTravel Camp, began in 1969, andKiddie Kamp began in 1973 foryounger children.

MMoovviinngg BBeeyyoonnddCCooooppeerraattiioonn

In 2002, the United Way —which helped fund many of thetwo organizations’ programs —suggested the two groups consid-er collaboration. They had beenworking together for years and

had often combined their fund-raising efforts. In 2004 the twoentered a three-year AffiliationAgreement to share resources,reduce costs, and expand pro-gramming.

Blending the two missionsinto a Bangor Y culture was verysuccessful. Maintaining separatecharters with the YMCA andYWCA proved more difficult. Soat the end of 2008, the groupsmerged as the Bangor YMCA,doing business as the Bangor Y.

To use space and resourcesmost effectively and keep costsdown, it was clear that the Ban-gor Y could best serve the com-munity by consolidating into onelocation. This led to the decision

Bangor Y: 144 years of service, a recent merger, and a very bright future

PHOTO COURTESY OF RICHARD SHAW

A colorized photo of the YMCA building on Hammond Street, which was constructed in 1891. The gymnasium in this buildingsurvives today on the Court Street side of the current structure, built in 1969-1970.

BDN FILE PHOTO BY JOHN CLARKE RUSS

Bangor Y staff, board members and other members of the Y community broke ground for thenew parking lot at the Bangor Y's Second Street Location Thursday morning, September 23,2010. The Bangor Y purchased several properties on Sanford Street, the next street up fromSecond. These properties abut the Y property, and the houses were demolished to make way

for the expansion.

PHOTO COURTESY OF RICHARD SHAW

The YWCA baseball team, circa 1900, posing outside the 1891 building. See BANGOR Y, Page 7




The Bacon Printing Compa-ny’s official birth, according to anold rubber stamp there, is 1875.But its origins actually date to1872, when a 16-year-old youngman went into business for him-self as a printer.

John H. Bacon represented theninth generation of his family inthe area. His father, John A.Bacon, was a successful coal mer-chant whose business venturesdate to 1854 in Bangor. Theyounger Bacon lived at hisfather’s Fourth Street home whenhe turned 16 in December 1872,and soon entered into the print-ing business, his father likelyfinancing the purchase of a smalljob press.

It wasn’t long before he soonsold that first machine and, withthe profits, expanded his busi-ness. By 1879, he operated atHarlow Street and KenduskeagBridge, and by 1885 advertised as“John H. Bacon’s Job PrintingOffice.” In 1891, he advertised asa “book and job printer” and in1895 as doing “fine job printing.”

Downtown Bangor’s GreatFire on April 30, 1911 destroyed267 buildings, damaged 100 oth-ers, and wiped out 55 acres.Bacon’s shop and machinerywere among the losses; he suf-fered $5,000 in damages (about$114,000 in today’s dollars) withonly $3,000 of insurance. Buteven that didn’t stop his commit-ment to his customers. For exam-ple, he’d done the daily menucards for the Bangor House for30 years, so he used job machinesat the Bangor Daily Commercialto get them done.

Bacon purchased new

machines and, for a few months,worked out of his barn beforerelocating to a second-floor shopat 22 State Street. By 1919, hisson George was working withhim as a printer, and when Johndied Feb. 13, 1921, his son Henrywas also there. Henry had recent-ly graduated high school andstarted his career hauling paperup the stairs and completed jobsdown. Henry and George becamethe company owners. George andhis wife, Georgia, settled in Ham-pden; Henry and his wife, Made-line, moved to a West Broadwayhome (where a family descen-dant lives to this day).

TTeecchhnnoollooggyy SSuurrggeess FFoorrwwaarrddThe John Bacon Co. adver-

tised its experience in Multi-graphing in 1935. The Multi-graph was a brand name for atypesetter and printer; lines oftype were set on a cylinder, andthe operator spun the handle toturn it, producing a finishedpage with every revolution.

In the late 1940s, Henrybought out his brother, and in1948, soon after graduating highschool, Henry’s son John S.Bacon came aboard. His first jobwas as a bookkeeper, as Henrywanted him to know the booksfirst. But the next most impor-tant thing, Henry told him, wasto meet the customers, so Johnsoon became a delivery boy. By1957, Henry was listed as presi-dent and John as vice president,

and added treasurer and assistanttreasurer to their respectiveduties the next year.

The company changed itsname to Bacon Printing, Inc. in1960, when it moved to 91Franklin. Henry’s wife Madelinejoined the company as a figure-head vice president who wasn’tinvolved with daily operations.John remained as assistant treas-urer. This would remain the caseuntil 1972, when Madeline wasno longer listed with the compa-ny. Henry was the vice president,and John had taken the reins asthe president.

The company expanded,encompassing 91-100 Franklin in1977 and then moving to 1070Hammond Street in April 1986.That location, at Odlin Road andI-395, had been the Jordan-Mil-ton Caterpillar dealer, and at24,000 square feet provided plen-ty of work space and ample roomfor warehousing customer prod-uct. At the time, a $175,000,three-color offset press was partof the $1 million plant.

Henry worked there until hisdeath in 1986; he’d come intowork, go home for a nap, andthen return to work some more.In 1988, the company wasknown as Bacon Print & Paper,including the Paper Cellar — theonly area distributor of paperfrom Eastern Fine Paper inBrewer. The company was listedas providing “copy & computer

PHOTOS COURTESY OF BACON PRINTING CO.

Right: An early photo of Bacon Printing. The man second fromthe left is probably John H. Bacon, the company’s founder.

Below right: A later picture. Judging from the arched windows,this shop is probably on the second floor, so this is likely at22 State Street, where the business called home after theGreat Fire of 1911 destroyed Bacon’s shop and equipment

until 1936, when it relocated to Exchange Street.

Bacon Printing: 139 years and four generations of putting ink to paper

There’s a strange synchronic-ity between two of our featuredstories this year, both startingwith John A. Bacon, the fatherof Bacon Printing Co.’s founder,John H. Bacon.

John A. Bacon partneredwith Charles H. Huckins ascommission merchants dealingin coal and wood by 1869.Bacon & Huckins becameBacon, Robinson & Co. by1882, taking on Judson H.Robinson and Charles F. Field.By 1901, Bacon’s father haddied, and Field was runningBacon & Robinson. In 1933,Bacon & Robinson was stillgoing strong selling coal andwood, with President Alfred J.Robinson at the helm. In 1945,Garrett D. Speirs headed Bacon& Robinson, selling coal, coke,and fuel oil. “Coke” was a prod-uct of coal distillation, usedmainly as a metallurgical fuel toreduce metallic oxides to met-als. By 1971, Robinson Speirswas the head of Bacon &

Robinson.Rewind a bit. One of Bacon

& Huckins’ early competitorswas the partnership of Stickney& Babcock, also dealers in coal.By 1903, according to the Ban-gor City Directory, GetchellBros. was harvesting ice on theKenduskeag above Bull’s Eye

Bridge, advertising their “Bull’sEye Bridge Pure ‘Washed’ Ice.”But Getchell Bros. also dealt incoal, and in an advertisement,the Brewer company noted thatits Bangor office was the Stick-ney & Babcock Coal Co. at 17State Street.

Fast forward to 1977. Bacon

& Robinson had been in busi-ness all that time, as had Stick-ney & Babcock. Bacon &Robinson had frequently adver-tised on the cover of the BangorCity Directory, with its blackdiamond logo, noting it sold“Oils – Heating and Fuel – BulkGas.” But in 1977, the logoadvertised the merged companyof “Bacon & Robinson — Stick-ney & Babcock” and listed themas “A Dead River Company.”

John A. Bacon’s son, John H.Bacon, founded his printingcompany in the 1870s. The sen-ior Bacon went on to build amajor coal and wood companythat lasted all the way to 1977.Meanwhile, one of his longtimecompetitors, Stickney & Bab-cock, also lasted through thattime, even partnering withGetchell Bros. Today, DeadRiver claims the history ofthose two fuel companies,resulting in an odd bit of syn-chronicity with today’s BaconPrinting Co. and Getchell Bros.

NEWS PHOTO BY DAVID M. FITZPATRICK

Most of the current Bacon Printing staff poses in the pressroom for a photo. Shaun Gargan,Back (from left): John Thompson; Wayne Garvin; Nancy Reilly; Mary Sites; Judy Bacon Strout,co-owner and great-granddaughter of founder John H. Bacon; 51-year employee Dick McClay;

Bill Sloan; and Kevin Grant. Front (from left): Dwight King; co-owner Carlton Strout.

An Interesting Historical SynchronicityIt began with coal... and ended with oil

See BACON, Page 8




Fortier Electric in Ellsworthhas been in business for 75 years,but its origins predate that, towhen Raymond Peavey andEdith Morrison Peavey firstestablished the R.L. Peavey Elec-trical Shop on Main Street inEllsworth in the 1920s. The 1928city directory saw Peavey adver-tising as “Electrical Contractors;Lighting Fixtures – Appliances –Wiring; Agency for Frigidaire.”Edith served as the company’sbookkeeper.

Disaster struck on March 14,1930, in the form of Ellsworth’sinfamous Hancock CountyCourthouse fire. Peavey and a fel-low fireman with the EllsworthFire Department, Lester Salis-bury, were killed when the belfrytower collapsed through thebuilding to its basement. Alsothere was a firefighter namedGeorge Fortier, and, risking hislife to search for the fallen men,George’s brother Peter Frederick“Fred” Fortier.

Following the tragedy, Edithcontinued to run the store. Sheadded a lending library and nov-elties, according to the 1931 citydirectory, but still sold electricalsupplies. Fred Fortier beganworking for her as an electrician,and the two married in 1932.

On May 7-8, 1933, another firechanged all of Ellsworth. It start-ed in a theater and spread on stiffwinds, destroying three-quartersof the downtown business dis-trict. The Peavey Electrical Shop

at 151 Main Street was one of thevictims in what was described asa war zone, looking like Londonafter the blitzkrieg.

Along with many businesses,Edith and Fred set up temporaryshop in what was called Emer-gency Avenue, between Main andSpruce Streets, where businessescontinued in makeshift struc-tures lining wooden sidewalks.Peavey Electrical Shop did a lotof work in the downtownrebuilding.

The business was renamedFortier Electric Company by thetime the 1935 city directory waspublished. In 1936, the couplerelocated to Central Street, andsoon thereafter to 114 StateStreet, where it would call homefor many years. Over the years,the company did all types ofelectrical work, but also did serv-ice installations for major oilcompanies including under-ground tanks, piping, canopies,signs, painting, and concretework.

More of the family gotinvolved with the business. TheFortiers’ nephew, G. Joseph “Joe”Fortier, joined the company asan electrician in training in1951. And in the mid-to-late1960s, Joe’s father — Fred’sbrother George, who had riskedhis life to save Peavey in 1930 —retired from a 40-year career as aFord mechanic with Morang-Robinson/Ellsworth Ford Sales,and he joined Fortier Electric asa mechanic in the pump-and-tank department.

Fred passed away in February1969, and Joe became his Aunt

Edith’s working foreman. In late1969, just a few days after hiseighteenth birthday, Joe’s sonRon came aboard as the utilityworker. He ran a jackhammer,poured cement, shoveled, raked,swept, cleaned, and did anythingelse that needed to be done. Butby his twentieth birthday, hepassed his journeyman electri-cian’s exam (followed by his mas-ter’s exam the following year)and was a certified electrician.

Ron Fortier recalls workingmany projects, including the oldwoolen mill where the Mill Mallstands today, the old Union RiverLumber Mill where GreenwayEquipment is now, expansionsand constructions of various

blueberry-processing plants, theHancock County Creamery andIce Cream Plant, and Thorsen’sMachine Shop at WashingtonJunction. He was involved inmost of the commercial build-ings in the Main Street area, aswell as countless homes andbusinesses in Hancock andWashington Counties.

Times were different in theearly 1970s; an electrician neededvery few tools: “a good, reliable(not fancy) voltage tester, a goodpair of lineman’s pliers, a coupleof screwdrivers, a pocketknife,and the all-important flashlight,”Ron said in a write-up to theBangor Daily News. “If oneadded a roll of electrical tape and

a pocket full of fuses, most any-thing could be fixed.”

After working at a fuse box,the only tool required to finishthe job was a screwdriver, so itwas common to accidentallyclose up another tool in the box,perhaps not to be seen for a longtime. “My father ‘lost’ morepocketknives and linesman pli-ers that way,” Ron said. “I knowthis, because I am still findingthem.”

When Edith retired due tohealth problems in the late 1970s,Joe took over day-to-day opera-tions, bringing his wife Charlottein as office manager. Edith passedaway in 1980, and a few yearslater the business relocated to

151 Main Street, within 50 feet ofthe original Peavey ElectricalShop’s location in the 1920s.With more people into doingsimple electrical jobs themselves,the new location included a do-it-yourselfer parts store.

Ron and his younger brotherGary worked as electricians, withRon’s youngest brother Jeffreyworking for a time as a helperbefore becoming a journeymanelectrician. Joe and Charlottesemi-retired in 1991, droppingthe contracting portion of busi-ness. Ron purchased part of thebusiness, and on Jan. 1, 1992, hebecame the third-generationowner.

In 1996-1997, he had to scaleback, working as a one-manoperation and hiring his son, G.Joseph Fortier II, on an as-need-ed basis as a helper — and stillworking there occasionally today.

Joe and Charlotte passed awayin May and June of 1999, and afew years later Ron closed theretail store and moved the officeto its present location, where hesays he can easily tend to his cus-tomers’ needs.

Ron’s son G. Joseph II repre-sents the fourth generation ofFortiers at the business. But willthere be a fifth? Maybe; in early2010, a southern-Maine newspa-per ran an article about electricaltraining at Biddeford HighSchool. It featured a quote fromhis granddaughter saying sheliked electricity, and had a grand-father who owned a contractingbusiness.

“Hmmm,” Ron mused, “couldthis be the next Edith?”

This photo, featured in a Fortier Electric advertisement in Ellsworth’s 1963 bicentennial publi-cation, features G. Joseph “Joe” Fortier, father of current owner Ron Fortier. The Ford van was

Joe’s work truck, and the James “Pete” Carney usually drove the pickup truck.

Fortier Electric: 75 years at least, but its roots date back even further

The blinds evolved into theGetchell Bros. Window CoveringDivision by the late 1960s,adding in-home service anddraperies to the mix. Meanwhile,ice production increased to 80tons a day with a 1975 expansion.

Farnham became vice presidentin 1977 and then president in1979 when Ralph retired. Louisebecame the vice president.

In 1981, the company brieflyrevisited dealing in coal, but italso found a new market by tak-ing on Stewart Sandwiches. The1980s saw the addition of ice-cream products by companiessuch as Sealtest and Ben & Jerry’s,

as well as branding their qualityice in 1983 as Leisure Time Ice,even as production increased to100 tons of ice per day.

The company sold the win-dows division in 1986 to ColorConcepts in order to refocus onice. In 1988, a major expansionincreased production to 140 tonsper day. At that time, about 80people worked around the clock

during peak summertime icedemand, and about 35 people inthe winter.

SSttiillll IIccee CCoolldd aanndd PPrroouuddToday, Farnham’s son Douglas

is president of the company, rep-resenting the fourth generationin the family business. The com-pany’s Leisure Time brand isgone, in favor of a partnershipwith Canadian company ArcticGlacier to use its broadly recog-nized name. But Getchell Bros. isstill family-owned, and Doug’sbrother, Don, works there.Doug’s oldest son, Scott, hasspent the last two summersworking in the freezer.

The company opened a secondfacility, in Sanford, in 1998 as astorage facility; it began manu-facturing ice in 2000. The biggestchallenge the company faces isthe mistaken belief that makingice cubes in your freezer is thesame as buying packaged ice. Itisn’t; the ice-making processinvolves multiple levels of filtra-tion, cleaning, and steps toensure the ice is contaminantfree. Humans hands don’t touchthe ice, and food odors from yourfreezer don’t get absorbed into it.It’s about as pure, fresh, andtasteless as ice can get — and itactually melts slower than the iceyou’d make in your freezer.

Summer is the busy time, andGetchell Bros. hires about 50 sea-sonal employees and moves tothree manufacturing shifts andlonger delivery days. On an aver-age July day, the company willmanufacture and ship as muchice as it does in all of January.Even with all the automation, thecompany still brings on 50 newemployees during the summer.

“As fourth-generation owner, Iam proud of the tradition andhistory of Getchell Bros. and theice industry,” said Doug. “We willcontinue to look for new oppor-tunities but hard work and serv-ice to our customers will be keyto the future.”

GetchellContinued from Page 2

PHOTO BY PROF. MARION J. BRADSHAW, FROM HIS BOOK “THE MAINE SCENE.”

The Getchell Bros. icehouses on the Kenduskeag, circa 1946 or 1947. At that time, the com-pany would only be harvesting ice for another seven or eight years before going to only manu-factured ice.

A Getchell Bros. ad from a City Directory, circa late 1930s.




Hammond Lumber is one ofthe most successful building-supply businesses in Maine, butthe company might never havehappened if not for its founder’sperseverance.

Clifton “Skip” Hammond wasrunning a logging business in1953 when a man named EddieKinney approached him with aproposal to start a sawmill. Kin-ney had sawmill experience, andwith Skip’s logging skills, itseemed a good idea, so the part-ners built a diesel-poweredsawmill in Belgrade.

The venture quickly failed, andits assets went to auction, butSkip wasn’t giving up. Withmoney borrowed from his wife,Verna, he bought the sawmillequipment and hired twoemployees. The men worked longdays, went home for supper, andreturned to work some more.Eighty-hour weeks were thenorm, and money was tight. In1953 and early 1954, the countrywas in a recession, so Skip didwhatever he could to make endsmeet. He was lucky if he ever had$20 in the bank.

But Skip was the embodimentof Yankee ingenuity. He savedmoney however he could, such asbuilding a forklift out of an oldArmy truck or hauling discardedrailroad equipment back to thesawmill to convert into some-thing usable. Eventually, two

more recessions later, the compa-ny became profitable.

In 1967, Skip’s son Donald,fresh out of high school, helpedlaunch the retail store; where thecompany had been a wholesalerbefore, the retail store brought itslumber to the masses. Donaldhad a broad understanding ofhow the various parts of thecompany worked, as he’d workedthe sawmill and planer mill, driv-en trucks and forklifts, orderedsupplies, and waited on cus-tomers.

AAcccceelleerraatteedd GGrroowwtthhThe store only sold lumber at

first, but soon began addingbuilding supplies. As the selec-tion grew, so did the company.There had been no plans forother locations, but in 1975 theowner of the Harry E. Fallssawmill and retail store inSkowhegan decided to sell. WithHammond Lumber’s businesspicking up steam, the companypurchased Falls and opened itssecond location.

A revamped Belgrade store inlate 1976 expanded its displayarea to 5,000 square feet. A4,000-square-foot Home Centerjoined it in early 1977, which thecompany said was one of themost complete home centers inMaine.

In 1983, another opportunitypresented itself when StarbirdLumber in Farmington burned.The owner wasn’t interested inrebuilding, so Hammond Lum-ber purchased its assets and

opened another store. In 1987,with log homes exploding inpopularity, Hammond Lumberopened its Maine Pine LogHomes division. The companywas already milling logs in Bel-grade, as well as designingkitchens and decks, so custom-designed log homes were a natu-ral fit.

Expansion surged after that. In1989, the company acquiredPeter Allen Lumber in the Lewis-ton-Auburn area, as well as theassets of the former AugustaLumber Company. In 1991, after

traveling to Greenville to attendthe Moose Hill Lumber andHardware auction, they woundup buying the entire company. Asixth store followed in 1997 whenHammond Lumber bought theformer Fairfield Lumber Compa-ny. Number seven came in 2002in Bangor, when HammondLumber bought the formerWickes location there.

Hammond Lumber broke its“when opportunity knocks”mold in 2008, entering the Port-land market with the construc-tion of a new store. And in 2010,Hammond Lumber purchasedDowneast Building Supply inBrunswick from Downeast Ener-gy, which had run the building-supply division for 80 years. Theformer Downeast Building Sup-ply became Hammond’s ninthlocation. And at the end ofNovember 2010, HammondLumber Company purchased theassets of the former PinelandLumber Company of Lewiston.

TTooddaayy aanndd tthhee FFuuttuurreeHammond Lumber is a build-

ing-supply powerhouse in Maineand beyond. In 2010, it ranked#43 nationally by Pro Sales Mag-azine’s list of the 100 top-salesbuilding-supply companies inthe country. With only 12 in the

entire Northeast ahead of it, it’snow one of the largest in theregion, even as it remains anindependent, third-generation,family-owned company.

Today, the Belgrade sawmillgets its pine supply from within a60-mile radius, sawing morethan 6.5 million board feet oflumber every year — one of thefew building suppliers milling itsown lumber. There’s no waste;sawdust, processed bark, woodshavings, and wood chips aresold across New England.

Although Skip retired in1996, he comes in regularly tokeep an eye on things, and hiswife Verna is in the office everymorning. Donald heads thecompany, with his son, Michael,as vice president.

So what’s on tap in the nearfuture for Hammond Lumber?Rod Wiles, the director of mar-keting and personnel, a 25-yearveteran with the company, isn’ttalking about what irons mightbe in the fire, but reiterated theHammonds’ ability to capitalizeon opportunities.

“The Hammonds … haveshown that they’ve always gottheir ear to the ground, theyknow what’s going on in theirown business and in theindustry,” Wiles said. “They

are also keenly aware of theircompetition.”

Hammond Lumber belongs tothe Lumbermens MerchandisingCorporation, a co-op of 360independent companies thatwields an annual $8 billion inbuying power, easily allowingHammond Lumber to be on parwith the national chains.

Wiles stresses that, at Ham-mond Lumber, you won’t getunskilled employees who avoidyou like in some stores. And it’sthe employees who have madethe company’s success possible.“[The Hammonds] could nothave built a company the sizethat it is today by themselves,”said Wiles. “It is the employeeswho have worked for themover the years, or continue towork for us today, who makeus successful.”

Hammond Lumber employs350 people, nearly all full-time, atits nine locations. The companyoffers ample overtime during thebusy season, instead of hiringand laying off seasonal workers.This ensures a steady crew that isknowledgeable and dedicated.“We want to ensure that we havequality people representing us,”Wiles said. “They are the oneswho help to make us successfuland help keep us successful.”

NEWS PHOTOS BY DAVID M. FITZPATRICK

Hammond’s flagship store in Belgrade. The front of this building expanded on the old store to the rear. The complex featuresa sawmill, planer mill, and product warehouses. The original retail-store building from 1967 is still in use today. From this has

sprouted a chain of Maine-based building-supply stores that ranks 13th in the Northeast in sales. Hammond competesagainst national chains by belonging to a co-op of similar independent businesses, enjoying $8 billion in buying power.

Inside the Belgrade store, featuring the sprawling customer-service counters, administrativepeople, and a small part of the retail store. The store also features its log-home divisionoffice, a complete kitchen and bath department, windows, doors, and much more.

Hammond Lumber: 58 years in business, nine stores... and counting

to remodel and expand the Sec-ond Street facility and sell theHammond Street building. Thefirst renovation phase was com-pleted in December 2010, includ-ing a new parking lot and interi-or renovations. Phase twoincludes construction of a newgym with a full-sized basketballcourt, new fitness facilities, newlocker rooms, a new welcomecenter, and space for youth andteen programming.

At a December 15 ribbon-cut-ting ceremony celebrating thephase-one completion, CEOMike Seile recognized bothorganizations that provide theBangor Y’s foundation as it looksforward to many more years ofcommunity service.

“Today represents more thanthe completion of a constructionproject or the consolidation intoa single site,” he said. “Today wecelebrate the deep histories of theBangor-Brewer YWCA and the

Bangor YMCA, and the vision ofour community leaders and staffin ensuring that future genera-tions will benefit from our mis-sion. Through the joint opera-tion, formal merger, and now oursingle location, we are pleased toreintroduce ourselves to thecommunity as the Y, for youthdevelopment, healthy living andsocial responsibility.”

Bangor YContinued from Page 4

BDN FILE PHOTO BY JOHN CLARKE RUSS

Karl Ward, CEO of Nickerson & O’Day, placedhard hats on toddlers in the Bangor Y's Discov-

ery Friends Day Care. Behind him (from left)were day-care intern Chelsea Dow, toddler

teacher Kristen York, George McHale(obscured), Bangor Y board president RacquelTibbetts, and Bangor Y CEO Mike Seile. They

joined other members of the Bangor Y commu-nity to break ground for the new parking lot atthe Bangor Y's Second Street location Thurs-day morning, September 23, 2010. A lot hashappened so far during the intensive renova-

tion and expansion project, the result of amerger between the Bangor YMCA and Bangor-Brewer YWCA. The new entity has consolidatedinto the YWCA’s old location, and is working to

build a better facility for the community as itheads into the future.

Mike Seile, Bangor Y CEO




Nobody knows the date forsure, but where Hampden Hard-ware currently stands has beenthe site of a hardware store sinceabout 1853.

An 1856 municipal survey in abook published by the HampdenHistorical Society indicated thatonly one store sold “paints andoils.” The first record of Burn-ham W. Hardy operating thestore was in the 1890 Maine Reg-ister. But in 1889, Hardy was notlisted, although B. F. Smith waslisted as selling paints and oils.Smith was a prolific businessmanwho ran a general store with var-ious partners, being listed as amerchant as far back as 1871,before the registers mentionedspecific businesses; he is first list-ed as selling paints and oils in1882. There are no Maine Regis-ters at the Bangor Public Librarybetween 1857 and 1870 inclusive,

but 1856 and 1857 registers dolist Allen Rogers as selling“paints, oils, and glass” in thatarea. It seems likely that a hard-ware store of some kind hasexisted on or very near the loca-tion of the current HampdenHardware since 1853.

At some time in the early1900s, a man named E.W. Rowellworked for Hardy at his store,and eventually bought the busi-ness. The current owners havereceipts from 1904 under Hardyand 1909 under Rowell, and the1908-1909 Maine Register listsRowell as owning the store, withHardy last listed there in 1906-1907, so the sale likely happenedsometime between 1906 and1908.

Disaster struck in May 1912when a devastating firedestroyed one of the major cen-ters of Hampden. It wiped outthree two-story buildings, townlandmarks that had formed thetrading center for miles around.The fire did a staggering $25,000

damage (nearly $550,000 intoday’s dollars). Rowell sufferedthe most damage, at $10,000. It’sbelieved the building was builtin 1854.

But a town needed its hard-ware store, and Rowell quicklybegan rebuilding, with a newstore to open by August of thatyear. In the meantime, he set upshop on the corner of West Elmand Main, in the building histori-ans know as Crosby’s Grist MillStore or the Old Brick Store, abuilding constructed in 1807.There, Rowell displayed his mer-chandise on tables or whateverelse he could find. (Later, in the1920s, Rowell paid $1,500 for hishouse — located across the streetfrom the Grist Mill Store build-ing, and also built in 1807.)

Rowell had owned the busi-ness for about 50 years when hesold it to Gordon Ackley andHerbert Tenney in 1956. Tenneypurchased the building in 1961and ran it for the next 20 years.

In 1981, Dale Palmer, a Belfast

businessman, purchased thestore out of bankruptcy. Palmerhad owned and operated theHome Supply Center on MainStreet in downtown Belfast since1968, so he already had solidexperience running a hardware

store. Palmer wanted to expandhis business, and he knew Hamp-den Hardware enjoyed a keylocation at the junctions ofRoutes 9 and Route 1A and nearRoute 202. Palmer asked hisdaughter and son-in-law, Dianeand Steve Bergey, to run it forhim. The Bergeys moved into theapartment upstairs over the storeand did just that.

Externally, the store hasn’tchanged much since the buildingwent up in 1913, although theoriginal flat roof was coveredwith a sloping roof at somepoint. Inside, it has that relaxedfeeling of a hometown hardwarestore, with tin ceilings and a roar-ing fireplace in the back. Thehalf-dozen employees are experi-enced in many areas. Thatexpertise is valued highly, andsets this local store apart from thebig-box chains that might nothave the well-rounded levels ofexpertise in so many areas.

“I pay more than most placesdo for all my people, and we offerbenefits, and we try to keepthem,” Bergey said. “It takes awhile to train people. Even some-body who’s knowledgeable inplumbing and all these variousthings, it takes a while to learnwhere things are, what we have.”

And they have just abouteverything you could imagine

when it comes to hardware, plusplenty more. And if the storedoesn’t have it, chances are theBelfast store does, and Bergeycan get it to Hampden prettyquickly. Having that other store,and the warehouse in Belfast,enables Hampden Hardware tocarry things most small storeswouldn’t be able to carry. Bergeyhas a 10-ton truck that he’ll loadup with lifts of lumber, plywood,and drywall, or pallets of insula-tion or potting soil to bring toHampden.

After 9/11, Dead River, downthe street, couldn’t allow people inwhere all the propane was any-more, and asked Hampden Hard-ware to be a refilling station. Thepropane business is extreme, espe-cially on weekends. Likewise,when the local Blue Seal dealerwent out, the store picked up thatline. And wood pellets havebecome a major draw to passersby.

“Fifteen thousand cars a daygo by here, so we stick that oneright out by the street and get acompetitive price on it,” Bergeysaid. “I don’t even know howmany truckloads of pellets we’vesold this year.”

For 158 years, that location ata key crossroads has been a cen-terpoint of business in Hamp-den, and there’s no sign that itwon’t be for a long time to come.

Hampden Hardware: 158 years selling hardware at the same location

Top: B.W. Hardy’s hardware store, with its sign noting “Hardware – Tin-Ware – Paints – Oils,” is at the left of this photo, whichthe Hampden Historical Society dates between 1870 and 1890. However, the presence of Ella Rowe’s store seems to date it

to no earlier than about 1899, as she was known as Ella Temple prior to that. (Photo courtesy of the Hampden HistoricalSociety.) Above: A Hampden police officer makes a quick purchase from Steve Bergey. (BDN photo by David M. Fitzpatrick.)

paper printing.”Carlton Strout, who had mar-

ried John’s daughter, Judy, in1979, had begun working at thecompany in 1982. Carltonassumed leadership of BaconPrinting upon John’s untimelydeath in 2001, and continues torun it today. Even while workinganother job, Judy has gottenmore involved in recent years tohelp the longtime family businessthrive.

BBaaccoonn PPrriinnttiinngg TTooddaayyToday, a dozen highly skilled

people work for Bacon Printing,and there’s plenty of longevity;one employee just passed the 51-year mark. Much has changedover the years; with easier accessto desktop computers and print-ers, customers’ reliance on com-mercial printing companies haswaned, but Bacon Printing con-tinues to succeed in the modernmarketplace.

There’s tough competitionfrom big-box stores and onlinevenues, because people assumethey’re cheaper, but Judy BaconStrout encourages people to call

for free quotes. She says peopleare apt to be very surprised atBacon’s competitive prices andwide range of services, and saidthe company will print prettymuch anything.

“People will call every nowand then and say, ‘Do you dowedding invitations?’” she said.“We’ll do anything you want usto do. And we’ll do one, or we’lldo 50 million.”

And Bacon does it all beyondprinting: folding, cutting, scor-ing, spiral binding, laminating,and subcontracting for otherprinters. Bacon specializes inthings such as envelopes; Stroutestimates Bacon can printenvelopes faster than anyoneelse in Maine, at least north ofPortland.

But the real specializationcomes in the one-on-one, per-sonal service to all customers,whether it’s a big print job orsomeone needing a few cardsprinted. The staff works closelywith customers to make sure thejobs are done right — even if itmeans doing jobs over.

“You try to make customerservice be the most importantthing: giving somebody justexactly what they want,” saidStrout.

BaconContinued from Page 5

An image froma Bacon Print-ing advertise-

ment in theBangor City

Directory.Bacon PrintingCo. first usedthis image inadvertising in1892, depict-

ing its Bab-cock PrintingPress, which

was a state-of-the-art press

at the time. Itwas a power-

driven cylinderpress with anautomatic ink-

ing system.

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