The grand opening of Station Square was celebrated on Thursday, November 21, with several speeches and ribbon cuttings. Jon and Cindy Smith, owners of Great Falls Builders, envisioned the commercial/residential property years ago as part of a plan to revitalize Gorham Village. The owners of Grand Central Wine Bar, Junction Bowl, and Chalmers Insurance all spoke as did members of the Gorham Business Exchange and Gorham Village Alliance.
Ethan Johnson, President of the Gorham Business Exchange, said, “In our mind, there is really no better place to live and work than Gorham, Maine. It’s a community that has great families, great schools, and great businesses. It’s no secret there has been a lot of buzz in the community about this. This is a game changer for Gorham. There is quite simply nothing like it around.”
Suzie Phillips, Town Council Chair, welcomed the new businesses to Gorham by saying, “This is going to make Gorham one of those places you want to stop.” She went on to thank Jon and Cindy Smith for their continued work in keeping Gorham’s “Village character and historical past.”
Jessica Szafranski of the Gorham Village Alliance congratulated all those involved for the completion of the building. She thanked the Smiths for “caring enough to invest in our town.”
“As a business owner and someone who lives here in this town, I’m proud to say that we have something special in this town,” she said.
Photo credit Leslie Dupuis
Photo credit Merle Oak
Photo credit Leslie DupuisCindy Smith led the ribbon cutting for the 33 residential units at Station Square (top photo) which houses close to 70 people, most of whom moved in during the summer. Karen Nason kicked off her grand opening (middle photo) with a ribbon cutting in Grand Central Wine Bar, and Ben Smith was surrounded by family and his staff for the ribbon cutting at Junction Bowl.
Karen Nason, owner of Grand Central Wine Bar, who returned to Gorham after 30 years in New York City, decided to move back when she saw the booming growth in Gorham and the possibilities after visiting the unfinished space inside Station Square where the wine bar now resides. “It’s so good to be home,” she said.
Ben Smith, owner of Junction Bowl, said, “I’m so excited to be here, work here, and to bring entertainment and fun for all ages and families.”
Cindy and Jon Smith, who originally came up with the concept for Station Square nearly five years ago, spoke about the significance of the project completion.
Jon Smith recounted the initial thought process behind bringing a bowling alley to Gorham and the inspiration for the railroad station design. He thanked architects Mike Richman and Chris Bakkila of Custom Concepts for “nailing it.”
“When you add up the suppliers, subcontractors, and companies that worked on the project, there were over 75 Maine companies. This project has employed hundreds of people working and performing their crafts,” said Smith, adding, “Between Junction Bowl, Grand Central Wine Bar, Chalmers and the two vacant units [under final construction], there will be close to 150 full-time employees working out of this building.”
“Now is when the real magic begins as the businesses continue to grow and serve this community and the residents continue to experience Gorham Village. Thank you to all businesses and residents. Please continue to make your mark on Gorham,” he said.