Iconic Bangor Bakery Sold To Brewer Man With Ties To The Business
Iconic Bangor bakery, Gosselin's, has been open in the same spot at 334 Harlow Street since its establishment in 1945.
While the business has been by the same family since that time, it changed hands at the beginning of this month, when the owners Yvette and Bruce Steward decided it was time to retire.
According to an article in the Bangor Daily News, the bakery was recently purchased by Brewer native turned investment banker, Christopher Worden.
The BDN says Worden grew up in the same neighborhood as bakery owners the Stewarts, who were the 3rd generation in the family to run the bakery since it opened. It's said that Worden, who used to be the couple's cat sitter and paper boy, doesn't plan on changing much, and will be keeping the old recipes and even the current staff.
With plans to expand the hours and renovate the outdated space on Harlow Street, bringing it up to code, Worden, who opened the neighboring business " opened Fat Panda Boba Tea & Market 2 years ago, says he hopes to make the space a place people can come and sit in while enjoying a donut and a cup of coffee.
"He has ordered new kitchen equipment to replace old pieces like a mixer from the 1970s, he said. Bakers will soon have a new fryer, refrigeration, baking cases, and other essentials. Credit and debit cards are also now accepted for payment, whereas customers could only pay with cash before."
Aside from the successful storefront, Gosselins has also been a wholesale supplier of donuts to over a hundred local businesses. That won't change, but will hopefully become an easier task with updated equipment and workspace.
The BDN says that the Brewer location, Gosselins 2, was not part of the sale agreement. There's no news yet on what's to come of that part of the business.
Worden has already made some small changes to the hours of operations, expanding them by a couple of hours. The business will now be open from 6 AM to 2 PM, Monday through Saturday.
The renovations to the space are scheduled to start in October.