I am overdue for writing about the deli so here goes nothing. My boyfriend and I have owned this local breakfast and lunch spot for 2.5 years, and it is definitely what consumes the majority of my life.
First let’s start with a little bit of back story. Mr. Man and I have been in the hospitality industry for a long time, a collective 30+ years between the two of us. We have done nearly every job under the roof of a restaurant, and had dreamed of having our own place some day.
When we moved to Maine and a friends parents were selling a deli, Old World Gourmet Deli & Wine Shop, it was a no brainer. Neither of us wanted to get a job working for someone else, so we jumped right in the deep end. In retrospect we probably should have taken something like buying an existing restaurant a little slower, but that’s not really how we roll.
We bought the deli from an older italian couple that were well past wanting to retire. The deli had been operating since 1995, but during the last few years, was only seasonal (May to Dec) and the hours and days had become inconsistent. While offering a great product, the restaurant had lost some it’s business to other establishments offering a more consistent schedule.The deli was decorated in a very cluttered country cute fashion, and was in need of some serious cleaning.
Since the first day we took possession of the keys (which happened to be my birthday) we have slowly renovated, cleaned, painted, and organized the crap out the place. We have re-built our customer base through consistency, and lots of long days. Buying someones else’s business and truly making it your own is a tricky thing. People have a hard time with change (your customers especially), and yet they expect it. It is a fine line to walk.
We are currently closed for a few weeks to work on some new renovations and big procedure changes. Since it is close to being completed I wanted to share where we started and how far it has come. Please note the quality of the pictures suck. Advanced apologies.
When you walked in the restaurant the retail area was setup to the left, with wooden shelves creating 3 small aisles. The wine section was closed off from the restaurant as a narrow aisles across from the register.
There was clutter in every nook and cranny.
It’s no secret that I love Clyde, but those strange creatures starring on the wall, I hated them, so they were the first to go. It was a huge pain to get those suckers down, and they took a lot of the drywall with them.
We painted the walls red, and opened up the wine display, shortening it by one section becasue it was a huge area to keep stocked with wine for a small shop.
We painted the wall behind the register and back by the bathroom grey. Adios salmon!
We moved the retail section to the wall next to the wine. This opened up our entire space, gave us tons more space, and allowed us to add this large picnic bench.
We removed the white menu boards, and changed to a hand drawn chalk board.
We removed this second register area, and made a custom built in coffee station. This also allowed us to add another table.
So this leaves us before our current round of renovations, December 29th, 2013.
These photos only encompass what we have done out front. The current renovations are really starting to make this place look like our own. It feels more like a restaurant we would have built from the ground up. I can’t wait to share the projects we have tackled. Though not quiet finished, we are already planning and dreaming the next stage. This renovation life is never done.
