Tucked into our Orono Downtown district is a little coffee shop (and much more, hence, the ampersand) that has been the source of many Orono residents' and visitors' caffeine fix since 1973. Since 1995 however, the quiet, magician behind the curtain - John Bradson, and his sometimes excitable and always gregarious, partner (in life and business) Roberta have served as proprietors at
The Store - Ampersand at 22 Mill Street.
The Store is my personal Saturday morning coffee and read-the-paper routine and has been for years.
While the huge chocolate chip cookies have topped the list of the single best selling item for most of the sixteen years John and Roberta have been at the helm, recently the pumpkin chocolate chip and the "everything" cookie, a confectionary concoction of an oatmeal cookie with cranberries, raisins, chocolate chips and nuts, have made inroads at becoming the #1 item. Muffins, muffins, muffins are my #1 purchase. As with all the baked goods,
The Store uses soy-based shortening and milk, organic ingredients as much as possible and never uses high-fructose corn syrup. The muffins are a meal of themselves and I highly recommend all varieties and suggest you eat them upside down, leaving the crown for last.
Coffee, though, is the main stay of most who come through the door, either on the run or to sit and savor for a few minutes. Coffee is sold by the bean, ground or brewed. You can have it plain or fancy and if you buy a
Store coffee mug you can come in for a free cup on Wednesdays. Free Coffee Wednesday in your
Store mug has been going on for twenty four years and Roberta laughs when she remarks that she is certain there are still a handful of patrons who are using the very same mug first purchased in 1987. It is not unusual for well over two-hundred cups to be consumed on Wednesdays.
The Store is a popular outlet for beer and wine and features imported and craft beers along with wine you won't see in the big stores and always at prices below the suggested retail price.
Catering to local students, university students (the free campus shuttle stops at the front door), alumni, campus visitors and us "townies,"
The Store & is a great little, locally owned and operated establishment where you can get organic vegetables, t-shirts, cards, blankets, yogurt-covered raisins AND your caffeine fix, along with many other items you probably cannot find at the big box stores in Bangor.
So when you are INORONO, shop local, sit and enjoy and if she doesn't have what you're looking for, ask!
The Store & is another example of what makes living INORONO special.
Blog and Photos by Steve Foster.
