County Yankee celebrates new store

Houlton Pioneer Times Photo/Joseph Cyr
GRAND OPENING — County Yankee grocery store celebrated its grand opening Wednesday with a ribbon-cutting ceremony. Taking part are, from left, Anne Callnan, chamber member; Lori Weston, economic and community development director for Houlton; Donna Anderson, chamber member; Sue Tortello, town councilor, Jane Torres, executive director for the chamber; Dave Cunha, owner; Linda Loram, shift supervisor; Dennis Spooner, produce manager; Susan McAfee, branch manager at The Bank of Maine; and Mike Doody, human resource manager Ward Log Homes.
By Joseph Cyr
Staff Writer
    HOULTON — Dave Cunha, owner of County Yankee grocery store in Houlton, is not someone who seeks attention.
    Therefore, when he decided to build a new grocery store at the corner of Hillview Avenue and Military Street, Cunha kept his plans relatively quiet. Even after the new store neared completion, Cunha avoided the spotlight and said little about his major construction project in the town.
    County Yankee celebrated its grand opening Wednesday with a ribbon-cutting ceremony with members of the Greater Houlton Chamber of Commerce and town officials on hand. Cunha, who also owns Steaks n’ Stuff in Presque Isle and Lincoln, said extensive and costly renovations were needed to his previous facility, so he had a difficult decision to make.
    “The other facility was there from the Don Brewer days,” he said. “The facility was getting old quickly. So it was time to either retire, which I am way too young and couldn’t afford to do, or invest in a new building. With the economy the way it was, interests rates were low, so the time just seemed right.”
    At just over 12,000 square feet, the new County Yankee is nearly double the size of his previous building.
    “We debated whether to go larger or smaller, but we put in a sprinkler system so we were able to go just over the 12,000 square foot requirement,” Cunha said.
    The lot once served as Dot’s Family Restaurant, but had sat vacant for a number of years until Cunha purchased it. Keeping a community-based grocery store in Houlton was one of the primary reasons Cunha said he decided to build in the same part of town as the previous store.
    “We tried getting as close as we could and fortunately this piece of land became available,” he said. “This is just a great location. It’s not so much being on ‘the other side of town.’ We just try to cater to the neighborhood shopper.”
    With the new building, Cunha was able to expand its line of perishable foods, such as meats and fresh produce. He also expanded the deli department and plans to offer more hot food choices in the near future.
    County Yankee also has a full pharmacy, Shiretown Pharmacy, which is a sublet business in the building that is owned and operated by Lisa Findlater of Houlton and Charlie Ouellette of Fort Kent. Ouellette also owns St. John Valley Pharmacy.
    County Yankee employs just over 40 individuals on a full- and part-time basis. The store carries the Surefine brand of products from Associated Grocers of New England.
    The son of Portuguese immigrants, Cunha moved to Maine from Dartmouth, Mass. in 1978 and began working at Friel’s Mill in Oakfield. In December of 1978, he started on the road to his grocery career, taking a job at Bell’s IGA in Patten. After several years, Cunha spent some time at Charlotte, N.C., where he worked for a drug company and coffee service company.
    In 1985, he returned to Maine to work at the Ellis Family Market in Patten and in 1993, Cunha and Rick Burpee formed a partnership to open County Yankee in Houlton. In 1995, he bought out Burpee’s share and became sole owner.