Irving seeks new vendor for former Eastport gas station

The company that owned a popular Eastport business that was destroyed in a February fire will not be re-opening.

"Irving Oil has decided, upon careful consideration, not to rebuild its Eastport, Maine, location," states Harry Hadiaris, director of convenience retail for Irving Oil, in an April 7 statement. "Today's economic conditions have prevented us from doing so. We will work diligently, however, to find a new vendor, either a buyer or lessee, who will operate a convenience retail store under the Irving brand and continue to offer our quality products and customer service to the people of Eastport and the surrounding areas."

Hadiaris comments, "It makes sense for the Eastport location to have the store built, owned and operated by a local owner-operator who will continue to sell Irving quality fuel and diesel products." He adds that Irving is not getting out of the retail convenience store business in Maine. Hadiaris declines to comment on what Irving would do if the company is unable to find an operator that will sell Irving products. He also declines to state whether the store was profitable.

Bob Bore of Eastport, who was manager at the local Irving Mainway when it burned two months ago, says he received a phone call "out of the blue" on the morning of March 21, telling him that "the Irving family has decided not to rebuild" in Eastport. "I have no idea why."

Bore began working for at the Mainway on April 1, 2005, and was promoted to manager the next month. He is now traveling back and forth from Eastport to work at the Irving Big Stop in Baileyville.

"A few decided to get done, but the rest of us are all traveling," says Bore of the former Irving employees in Eastport who were offered jobs at other Irving stations in Washington County. "I'm there until the end of the month. That's guaranteed, but I don't know what will happen then. Plus, this is a step down for me. I'm not the manager there."

Four full-time and six part-time employees were working at the Eastport Mainway when it was destroyed in the early morning fire in February.

Eastport City Manager George Finch says the news from Irving is disappointing, but "we will continue to work with Irving as they pursue a new vendor, buyer or lessee who will operate a convenience retail store under the Irving brand, thus continuing to offer their quality product and customer service."

"The Irving fire was a significant blow to the local economy from the loss of jobs, to the loss of service, to the disruption of the daily routine for many of us who were served by their presence," notes Finch. "As a small community, we were fortunate that local businesses did rise to the occasion with Jim Lowe at BayCity Mobil extending his hours and days for fuel needs, Merrill and Roger Conti extending their hours at the IGA and the early opening of the seasonal Moose Island General Store. While the current economic conditions have created great difficulties for businesses of all sizes, I am confident that our continued work with Irving and others will ultimately bear fruit, and once again there will be a thriving business on the corner."

Twenty years ago, in April 1988, BayCity Mobil owner Jim Lowe had predicted, "Soon there will be nothing but Irving stations from Maine to Florida. We will be pushed out of business because we can't compete. Irving is a lot bigger than people think." BayCity Mobil is still open for business, while Irving is not -- at least in Eastport at the present time.