NORWAY, Maine (NEWS CENTER Maine) -- Thirty years is a good run for any store owner and the owner of The Lake Store in Norway is proud to reach that.
Dick Manson bought the store along side Pennessewassee Lake in 1987, but the store has had roots since 1964. Right away he tried to find a way to set the store apart from others, choosing his one of a kind sign collection to decorate the aisles with.
"Something we did on the weekends. We went to yard sales, flee markets and we filled the walls with unusual grocery items I called it," said Manson.
The signs have added an extra flair, but it's the store's staff and customers who are the pulse of the business. Tammy Riley has worked at the store for 13 years. Her mom worked the cash register prior to that and her grandmother used to work as a donut maker at The Lake Store.
"It's like Cheers, everybody knows your name," said Riley. "It's a fun atmosphere."
After more than three decades of ownership, Manson has made the decision to sell the business. It was important to him that the store stay a store and that the staff have the option to keep their jobs. He was able to find that with a buyer and the chance to help with the transition of ownership.
"For years I've told people, I'm tired of being married to it," said Manson. "I just want to be friends, well I have the opportunity because the people who are buying it from me own their own business and they'll need me, especially for training purposes."
Manson plans on staying on to help with training for at least six months and Riley will keep her post at the front register, but what about the sign collection? That could be the newest addition to your living room, garage, or man cave. A friend and next door neighbor of Manson works for an auction company in Connecticut and is going to help in getting the collection auctioned off. The auction will take place later this year.