Dexter’s Millside Building owner hoping for new buyer

By Mike Lange Staff Writer
DEXTER — The owner of the landmark Millside Building in downtown Dexter has put the complex up for sale, but he said that he’ll reluctantly close it down if a new buyer isn’t found soon.

Observer photo/Mike Lange
    FOR SALE — The Millside Building will be closed unless a buyer is found by the end of the month.

   
    Robert and June Woodman have owned the former Ben Franklin store since 1998 and it currently houses Millside Fitness — a health club also owned by the Woodmans — on the second floor and Dragonflies, a children’s clothing and accessories store on the ground floor.
    Robert Woodman said that he’s asking $150,000 for the building. “This has the potential of being a solid moneymaker,” he said. “But I just can’t afford to spend any more time or money on it.”
    Woodman said that the major reason he’s selling is because his wife, June, has health issues and they’ve relocated to Portland to be closer to their family. “I don’t like being an absentee landlord,” he said. “This needs hands-on, everyday management.”
    Woodman has notified the owner of Dragonflies that they’ll need to relocate by Jan. 31, and he plans to close Millside Fitness on the same day if a new owner isn’t found.
    Dragonflies owner Lee Blais said that his preference would be to stay in the store, but he may not have that option. “Basically, I’ve got 30 days to find a new location, and there isn’t a space in Dexter big enough to hold our inventory,” he said. “Dexter has been incredible for us. The patronage we’ve had from this store allowed us to open our second location in Newport.”
    Blais said that his family has put a lot of time and effort into the Dexter location “so it’s hard for us to think about closing. If worse comes to worse, we’d have to move everything to Newport.”
    Woodman said the Millside Building was empty for about eight years before they bought it. “We totally restored the interior and replaced the glass, all using local contractors,” he said. “Bonsey Brothers put in blown-in insulation. We redid the tin ceiling in the main store by ‘harvesting’ the old squares and reinstalling them. We’ve painted the building twice and put a new roof on four years ago.”
    Woodman said that one major financial setback was the loss of Mr. Paperback. “They were a great tenant and good for the community, but things just didn’t work out,” he recalled. The Maine-based chain shut down its entire operation in 2012, closing 10 stores — including one in Dover-Foxcroft — and selling its magazine distribution business.
    Over the years, the building also housed Millside Pharmacy, Dexter Print Shop, Country Charm and was the temporary Maine State Training and Development center to assist Dexter Shoe workers when the plant shut down in 2001. Woodman opened Millside Fitness in 2000.
    Interested parties can contact Woodman at (917) 921-2172 about purchasing the building.
    Blais is also interested in finding an alternate location in Dexter after Jan. 31, and can be reached at 368-5444 weekdays between 10 a.m. – 5 p.m.