Ellis Family Market expands in Patten

by Karen Donato
Staff/Writer
    Peter and Jon Ellis, owners of the Ellis Family Market in Patten are in the midst of a 6,000 square foot expansion project. They will nearly double the current size of their Main Street grocery store.     In 1983, their parents, Albert and Louise opened the first store in a small building adjacent to the current structure and then built the larger one in 1988.
Houlton Pioneer Times Photo/Karen Donato
THE ELLIS BROTHERS — Learning from their parents, Albert and Louise Ellis, who first started the business in 1983, Jon, left and Peter continue to offer their customers great service. With the expansion of the Ellis Family Market they will also provide many new products at competitive prices.
    The brothers remembered wondering what they would do with all that space as the nearly 8,000 square foot building looked enormous. However, it wasn’t long before the space was filled as new products were introduced and began filling the shelves. One of the new items included bottled water.
    Peter remembered thinking, “Who would buy bottled water?”
    As we now know, bottled water is a popular item, packaged in many shapes and sizes and takes up a lot of shelf space. Another item was cereal, instead of just one basic Cheerio brand or Special K, now they offer a number of varieties, satisfying the taste of many customers.
    With the marketing of new products came the need to have more space. Buildings, Etc. from Houlton broke ground earlier in the fall and is on-site now, enclosing the new structure in preparation for inside work during the winter months. Katahdin Trust Company is financing the project, with the grand opening planned for the late spring of 2010.
    With this expansion, the Ellis Family Market will be offering their customers more variety of products. They will have an expanded deli; the freezer and dairy section will be doubled along with enlarging their customer service area. They will offer four full checkout lanes, with another at the customer service center. The planned updates will give their customers a much more enjoyable shopping experience.
    “Right now,” said Peter, “the store gets quite congested with customers and merchandise. It seems that every space is filled,” he added, “and with this expansion we hope to make it a more relaxing atmosphere for our customers, so they can take their time while shopping.”
    The Ellis brothers have seen a change in their customers’ needs in the last 20 years.
    “The consumer is looking for more convenience foods,” said Jon, “such as pre-packaged and ready-to-go foods for the oven or microwave or items that don’t need to be cooked.
    With the increase in the frozen food department they will be able to offer a much larger variety. With the larger deli-area customers can choose from many items available now only in larger cities. They will also carry more organic produce and natural foods and specialty items.
    The Ellis’s partnership with Hannaford Bros. allows them to offer their customers competitive pricing comparable with the Bangor area.
    “This is a great asset,” said Peter. “Working with the Hannaford Corporation allows us to provide products that customers may find only in a larger market area. They are also assisting us with the layout of the building,” he said.
    Learning from their parents, both Peter and Jon have continued their high customer service standard. They both emphasized the importance of their customers and will provide them with service, still continuing to carry the groceries out to the vehicle for everyone. This courtesy has been disappearing from some stores.
    There are 35 employees working a variety of hours for the Ellis brothers and some of them have been there for 20 or more years.
Houlton Pioneer Times Photo/Karen Donato
ELLIS FAMILY MARKET — Work is currently underway at the grocery store on Main Street in Patten owned by Peter and Jon Ellis. They are nearly doubling the size of their store in order to accommodate the changing needs of their customers. Buildings Etc. from Houlton is constructing the facility with plans for a Grand Opening in the spring of 2010.
    “Our employees are dependable and go out of their way for the customers,” said Jon.
    Both Peter and Jon have worked in the family business from a young age, experiencing all the jobs from filling the shelves, mopping the floors and carrying the groceries out for their customers.
     “I remember being 13-years-old and Dad telling me to come to the store to clean shelves,” Jon said. “I didn’t really want to, but I couldn’t tell Dad ‘no.’”
    Although their parents are no longer involved in the day-to-day operation, they are still very interested in what’s going on and are looking forward to the next phase of the Ellis Family Market.