Owners of popular Bangor gift shop for sale say ‘it’s been a good ride’ (2024)

On Nov. 11, 1985, Rick and Rebecca Vigue opened theirnew business inBangor.

It was Veterans Day, and most businesses were closed, but Rick Vigue went in anyway. He got into the window, where an “opening soon” sign hung, and cut the “ing”and everything after it so that to those passing by, Rebecca’s gift shop was “open.” Then he waited.

“I opened the store about 1 o’clock in the afternoon, by myself. We were on Central Street then. I sat behind the counter and said, ‘I wonder if anyone will ever come in,’” he recalled Wednesday, laughing.

Maybe 15 minutes later, the first customer stopped by. Later, others dropped in, putting items on the cash register for Vigue to ring up.

“You were amazed,” Rebecca Vigue chimed in.

That was the day everything began, the couple said this week. While both Rebecca and Rick Vigue had experience working for their family businesses, launching a gift shop that was all their own was new, risky and thrilling.

Nearly 40 years have passed since then, and the Vigues are preparing to close a major chapter of their lives as they enter retirement. They put the business up for sale with the hope that the next person to acquire it will carry on its legacy as a cornerstonein downtown Bangor.

“We’re looking for someone who is the right fit,” Rick Vigue said. “We’ve told people that we’ve spoken with that they have to be dedicated. We’ve also said that it will be like stepping into a turnkey operation. Everything is here for them.”

The Vigues, who live in Hampden, announced the saleJan. 23 on Facebook, and they have already gotten four or five inquiries.

Rebecca’s will not close immediately. The Vigues hope to retire in or around June, and they look forward to having the freedom to enjoy themselves. They want to spend more time at their camp near Rockland and visit with their three grandchildren. And they will finally have the flexibility to do ordinary tasks, like grocery shopping, together.

The retail shop, at 43-45 Main St., offers Maine-made products, including chocolates, candles, wine, baby clothing and a variety of antiques. Rebecca’s is also a year-round Christmas shop because when it was launching, the Vigues were looking for a theme to attract customers, and they were inspired by a store that they frequented in Portland.

The shop is also known for its Brewer-made ceramic blueberry dishware, which it has sold since its first day in business and still has on its shelves. The hand-painted items are popular not only among local shoppers but out-of-state tourists who visit each year.

When a cruise ship stopped in Bangor recently, a group of passengers stopped into the gift shop. One told an employee that the cruise director advised Rebecca’s was a must-stop in the city.

Before opening the shop, Rick Vigue spent 13 years working in sales for a few computer companies, but he thought about being his own boss. Growing up, he worked at his aunt and uncle’s general store in central Maine. Rebecca Vigue’s parents owned Skehan’s Dairy in Gardiner, which delivered milk to people’s homes. Both of them gained experience working with customers, and a gift shop that they could curate according to their tastes was a good fit.

Rebecca Vigue also had a 40-year career as a third-grade teacher in Brewer. She retired in 2013. She spent many late nights and weekends working behind the scenes, she said.

They knew owning a retail store would not be easy, but it mattered to them that it was a pleasant experience for customers. The couple and their employees pay attention to details. They pick the right music to set the mood, make sure the shop smells pleasant and straighten up daily to fill gaps on shelves.

On Wednesday, hits from Whitney Houston, Celine Dion and Michael Buble played in the background.

Customers notice those intentional touches, which have contributed to the shop’s success, Rick Vigue said. The atmosphere makes them feel at ease and welcomed. Sometimes they come in not to shop, but simply to catch up with the Vigues or their employees.

“There are times they come in and talk to you for two hours,” Rebecca Vigue said. “We don’t care what they spend. We just want them to be happy.”

Her husband added that kindness goes a long way. He tells his employees, “Everyone wants to be rich and beautiful. Everyone isn’t rich, and everyone isn’t beautiful. So I want every person who comes in to be treated the same way.”

Regulars have told Rick that they will miss his stories. Rebecca noted that isn’t because of her, but rather her husband’s outgoing personality, and he joked that he is the “mouthy one” in the relationship.

Like any local business, the shop has evolved over the years. It opened on Central Street and later moved to a larger space on Main Street, where it has thrived for nearly 30 years, particularly during the holidays.

It has introduced new styles of inventory based on what was popular through the decades, and its team was once larger than its five people now, including the Vigues.

When Rebecca’s opened, Country Living magazine was well-liked, so that lifestyle and home decor was sought after, Rick Vigue recalled. Later, Rebecca’s introduced ×ã½»ÊÓƵn-style items, and then it advertised itself more broadly, carrying a variety of home decor and antiques.

Rebecca’s started as a 900-square-foot store, later expanded to 8,000 square feet and then downsized to 5,000 square feet. The couple rented a portion of the space they owned on Main Street when the economy took a downturn around 2012 as a way to protect their business, and it was a smart move, Rick Vigue said.

Small businesses nationwide were hit hard during the 2008 financial crisis, and the effects on the United States were felt in the years that followed. Rebecca’s was able to stay open while other gift shops and boutiques in Maine and elsewhere in the country closed their doors, he said.

Rebecca’s once sold products online, but that was time-consuming and required many resources, which have gone toward its brick and mortar store. Whoever buys the business should consider implementing that again because it’s a good opportunity to boost sales, Rick Vigue said.

Through the years, one constant has been the dedicated clientele. Seeing people who return to the store, either as regulars or annually when they visit Maine, is the biggest compliment, Rick Vigue said.

Every year, months in advance, they inquire about when the shop’s annual open house will be. It’s a social gathering and kick-off to the Christmas season, including food, champagne and good conversation.

“It’s been a good ride,” Rebecca Vigue said, with a soft smile.

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