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description=Eastport area residents were shocked to hear on Wednesday, August 26, that the city s only grocery store will be closing, with over 20 people losing their jobs. The R&M IGA s last day for being open is slated to be September 3.;

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eastport s only grocery store slated to close the most easterly published newspaper in the us published the 2nd and 4th fridays of each month home about subscribe advertising contact job listings links back issues search sign in free newsletter business development eastport s only grocery store slated to close eastport area residents were shocked to hear on wednesday august 26 that the city s only grocery store will be closing with over 20 people losing their jobs the r m iga s last day for being open is slated to be september 3 edward french 28 aug 2026 3 min eastport area residents were shocked to hear on wednesday august 26 that the city s only grocery store will be closing with over 20 people losing their jobs the r m iga s last day for being open is slated to be september 3 along with the farmers union in perry the nearest grocery stores are in calais about 30 miles away in addition the eastport family dollar store offers some food products co owner merilyn mills states i m now at a point in life where i feel the need to retire in preparation for this day i have had many conversations with potential buyers unfortunately for a variety of reasons none of them have yet come forward to proceed with a purchase so after a great deal of thought reflection and heartfelt consideration i have made the difficult decision to close our family business reflecting on her decision mills says having spent much of my life serving the people of eastport and surrounding communities and as a lifelong member of the community myself i understand that the r m is more than simply a business for many of our friends and neighbors it is an important and familiar part of daily life so i know this news is disappointing and concerning to many people she adds it is deeply difficult for me as well she says she did not make the decision lightly as she cares about this community and about the people who have supported our family business through the years city council president william billy boone says the closure will hurt the city in the short term but i m hopeful in the not too distant future another entity will take it over as for the impact on those without transportation to drive to another store he says it will be extremely tough but adds we re fortunate that the family dollar offers quite a lot of product now a total of 12 full time and nine part time employees will be laid off they will all be paid for their paid time off and accrued time off grace desantis who has worked as a cashier at the iga for four years says we kind of figured out it was going to happen with the store either being sold or closed there were rumors going around she says people have been reaching out to the employees either with suggestions for businesses that may have openings or just to say they feel sorry for us i feel bad for the elders now they can t just go to calais she says adding i really hope someone buys the building another cashier autumn cookson has had a couple of job offers and like desantis says she is worried for the elders here who can t make it to calais she adds we appreciate merilyn and everything she s done for us she s taken care of us and is making sure we re all going to be ok we all absolutely love her in turn mills says she is profoundly grateful to our employees both past and present they have been the heart of this business serving our customers with dedication kindness and hard work she hopes that someone will come forward in the days ahead with an interest in purchasing and continuing the business providing our employees with the opportunity to remain employed and continue serving this community a long history mills observes for four generations members of my family have owned and operated food stores in eastport i grew up at the r m iga working with my father and my uncle and like my family before me i have spent many years running the store through good times and bad the business has its roots in a shop at 76 water street in downtown eastport that was started by merilyn mills great grandfather armando conti who was born in livorno italy in 1893 and emigrated to the united states after his death in 1943 the business was taken over by his son mario a fire in a downtown business block in april 1963 damaged a conti s wholesale tobacco store and with wholesalers being squeezed out and the trade with the nearby canadian islanders slacking off the store was phased out meanwhile mario s sons merrill and roger had purchased a building on upper washington st to open their own grocery business in 1960 they constructed a larger building there and eventually built the current store building farther out on washington street which opened in 1990 after generations in the business and 35 years at the current location mills says to our customers friends and neighbors thank you for your friendship and your support not only during my years of ownership but throughout four generations of my family s history in the grocery business it has been a privilege to serve this community and to be part of your lives read next campobello not feeling brunt of u s canada trade war as the trump administration continues to impose new tariffs and restrictions on canadian trade and canada counters with tariffs of its own residents on both sides of the border have been inconvenienced or more seriously affected sebastian teunissen 25 sep 2026 closure of city s grocery store leaves many shoppers in limbo the closing of the only grocery store in eastport has raised alarms as some in the city who are unable to access food now available only at stores miles away are seemingly left with few options in what has become a food desert paula horvath 11 sep 2026 tariffs creating difficulties for woodland pulp operations canada has removed counter tariffs from american lobster to the relief of the industry in maine and new brunswick however life is getting more complicated for woodland pulp llc the largest single employer in washington county with approximately 310 workers in baileyville derwin gowan 11 sep 2026 back to homepage subscribe to the quoddy tides don t miss out on the latest news sign up now to receive our free newsletter free newsletter fans of the quoddy tides follow us on facebook search the quoddy tides 2026 powered by ghost