Staff Writer
HOULTON — Houlton’s second oldest business is under new ownership.
Almon H. Fogg Co., the hardware store that started on Main Street in 1859, is now part of S.W. Collins Co. of Caribou.
“We are very pleased to meld the A.H. Fogg Co. into our family,” Sam Collins, president of S.W. Collins, said in a press released issued last week. “The move to Houlton will enable us to provide customer services and products that are unique to our company. Our family-owned company is excited about becoming part of the fabric of the southern Aroostook community and playing an active and positive role.”
S.W. Collins, a fifth-generation, family-owned business, started as sawmill in 1844; the business currently operates a custom millwork shop at Loring Commerce Center, two retail lumber yards in Caribou and Presque Isle and a kitchen and bath center adjacent to their Caribou lumber yard.
Collins, who purchased the store from the Richardson family, said in a May 2 interview that no staff cuts are expected and praised the work of the store’s current crew.
“We’re very pleased with the level of employees that are here,” he said. “The employees have been excellent to work with. … They’re good folks who work hard and want to make sure our customers are well taken care of.”
Heading up the Houlton store will be Scott Dionne.
Dionne, graduate of Caribou High School and Dartmouth College, started working with S.W. Collins when he was a teenager. Dionne has spent the last four years working for Brockway-Smith Co., a New England based distributor of millwork and Andersen Windows and Doors.
Greg Fitzpatrick, store manager for Fogg’s, will work as the retail store manager.
“Fitzpatrick has a long history with the Fogg Company and has earned the respect not only of his customers, but also of many people in southern Aroostook who regard him for his lasting service to the community,” said Collins. “[Both] Scott and Greg have a clear understanding of great customer service and their exceptional backgrounds will serve the Houlton community for years to come.”
Among the changes upcoming at the store: a transition from True Value to Do it Best Hardware, an expanded array of products and services and, possibly, a new store name.
“There may be a new name at some point but we certainly want to retain the history of Fogg’s,” said Collins. “As a fifth-generation, family-owned business, we certainly understand the importance of that history.”
Collins said they’re hoping to grow the Houlton store in the coming years.
“Our first year, we’ll be getting our feet underneath us,” he said. “But we are looking forward to making some improvements down the road.”
The new Collins store will offer products not previously available in the community, along with drafting services for additions and new homes, computer-aided designs for decks and kitchens, a field technician to service Andersen Windows & Doors and sales professionals available for field measurements and complete estimates.
Fogg’s originally began in 1859 when Almon H. Fogg and his friend Augustus Pierce chipped in together to buy a grocery store on the corner of Main and Mechanic streets. Their original shop, along with one-third of Houlton, was destroyed by a massive fire in 1902, but that didn’t stop Fogg’s. The day after the fire, their store was up and running at a temporary site. Eventually, Fogg’s moved into a three-story brick building downtown. That was the business home for many years before it moved to its current Bangor Street location.
