With a wag of his tail, our dog Jerry always seems to bring us such good fortune. On Saturday, we took him to “Bark Harbor,” an upscale pet boutique in Bar Harbor’s downtown area. As we walked in, we noticed a flyer that advertised the business as being for sale, along with the building which has an upstairs apartment, and a separate home away from downtown. Woah!
We’ve often said that our next business would be some kind of dog-oriented operation, and the opportunity to start one was right in front of us, in one of the most beautiful locations we have been to yet.
We walked inside and were immediately impressed with Bark Harbor’s quality of merchandise — ranging from wholesome baked treats to toys to educational books to train humans. This is currently the off-season, but the store was swamped with tourists. It was clear that this business does very, very well, even in the slower months.
Wendy, one of the owners, immediately went up to Jerry and just started loving him to pieces. In fact, she loved him so much, she generously gave him a nifty new Ruff Wear vest that the company had passed along to her as a freebie, and some dog treats! Wow. Her generosity just bowled us over. In between the thank you licks that Jerry reciprocated with, we chatted about the sale.
Upscale Pet Boutique For Sale in Bar Harbor, Maine
- Bark Harbor is for sale at $99,000, because Wendy’s husband and business partner needs to be closer to work in Atlanta, Georgia.
- The business has been highly successful since she started it in 2001.
- The work that she’s put into it is of a quality not often seen in small independent stores. There are extremely professional displays, signage and branding included
- The sale also includes the Quickbooks Point of Sale system, surveillance cameras, complete inventory and hardware, and a nice web presence that’s currently being improved upon.
- In addition to the business, the building is being sold for $695k. With a retail store downstairs, and living quarters upstairs, it seems like a great price for being in the heart of a vacation destination like Bar Harbor.
- Wendy and Jim’s home, away from downtown, is a lovely place that’s being sold for $295k. Again, a bargain considering that this is prime coastal real estate that lies in a vibrant tourism-based location.
The Perfect Live / Work Opportunity
Bark Harbor is currently open from April to November, so in the off-season, you can either run it as an internet based business, or take some time off and explore Acadia National Park, about 5 minutes from your doorstep.
- Live upstairs and work downstairs
- Or, rent the apartment and live outside of town in the country.
- The possibilities are endless.
After we left, Jim and I talked about it for a while. We made a pact in the beginning of this trip that we wouldn’t make any big decisions for the first few months. So for now, we are holding off on making an offer to Wendy and Jim, but we’re also keeping our eye on how the sale goes. As much as we wish them the very best in finding a qualified buyer and a smooth escrow, we’re also holding a glimmer of hope that it might still be for sale when we are ready to decide on something.
Till then, if you’re interested in finding out how you can live and work in paradise, please contact Bark Harbor’s agent today.
This last entry is and was one of your best as you’ve made the perfect case for taking those venturous steps toward the unknown only to discover that this is where the next opportunity will reveal itself – awesome possum says I.
This might be a solid biz if you do the homework on their financials and are open to that line of business. To me, and based on your oft stated tireless love for Jerry, this might be one of those cases where the tail wags the dog, meaning, whose leading who?
Guess Jerry has opened some “Live, Work” opportunities for you both, not bad for a tri-pedal who has never spoken a word of English.
My vote is to stay in contact with the current owners and have them let you know if anyone expresses serious interest. This is the kind of business that thrives when it’s in the hands of those who are passionate about the services and products that can be provided. This kind of thing can be loads of fun as well because what’s not to like when it comes to obsessive dog lovers (except all that smoochy smoochy, boop boop, boo talk they make with the smaller models like
Pugs and Schnauzers and so on).
You know what to do on the real-estate side, get a knowledgeable agent, get the comps and so on.
Maine is one cold state in the Winter but that’s when you shut down and live fat in Mexico or Tahiti, then crawl back in March for inventory and open in April, sounds awesome!
You have my support on this one and if you need a second set of eyes on this let me know.
With much aloha – Eric.
Retail would be fun!, especially with all of the friendly hairy customers.
Living upstairs would be good. What’s not to like?