PRESQUE ISLE, Maine — A Presque Isle grocery store is under local ownership after two brothers purchased it on April 1.
Jimmy Donahue and his brother Joe Donahue now own Steaks N’ Stuff, located on 60 State St. Both have long-term experience in the store’s operation.
Small markets like Steaks N’ Stuff aren’t as prominent as they used to be, though some have found ways to hang on in a changing economy. The Donahue brothers grew up in the Presque Isle area and wanted Steaks N’ Stuff to become locally owned once again.
“It’s just giving people that ability to talk to us directly,” Jimmy Donahue said. “You’re not going to talk to the head of Walmart and ask him about what he’s carrying for products on the shelves, but you can come ask us.”
He was a night manager on the closing shift for 15 years, while brother Joe worked in the store’s meat department for eight years. Jimmy Donahue has worked in other parts of the store, including as a cashier, and began doing bookkeeping a couple of years ago.
He believes that small markets build a community up better than big-box stores. The selection might not be huge, but they have a more hands-on approach by taking in order requests from residents.
“The reason I wanted to get into this and why I do it is there’s not a lot of small markets like us left, with your bigger stores pushing them out,” Donahue said.
They purchased the store from previous owner Dave Cunha. Their first priority is getting their feet under them, Donahue said, adding it will take about a year to smooth out the ownership transition. But upgrades are in the future.
Some improvements have already been put into place, like new credit card terminals. New computers are on tap for this year, and the pot holes in front of the store will be filled in as the temperatures warm up. Future interior upgrades will include new floors.
The brothers want to do more than renovate. They also want to make the store more a part of the community by donating food, or providing lower prices to good causes like Project Graduation, Donahue said. They may launch a rewards program, but details aren’t certain.
Joe Donahue is looking to create a website for the store, and plans to update its Facebook page as well, his brother said.
The hours will stay the same, from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. every day.
Steaks N’ Stuff only has six aisles, but its small size carries an advantage: Staff get to know more people who walk into the store, Jimmy Donahue said.
“There’s customers that come in here that I’ve seen their kids since they were 3 years old who are graduating high school now, which is crazy,” he said. “I really like that community element to it.”
