'New England's largest sweet shop' hopes to fill void left by 'Big Al's' in Wiscasset
WISCASSET (WGME) -- The former Big Al's is going through big changes.
After long-time landmark Big Al’s Super Values closed in January last year, many have been wondering what would take its spot.
The store and its commercials were iconic for decades.
"We've always seen it on tv and stuff. We lived in New Hampshire and we saw it," said Greg Gebhard, a Wiscasset resident.
Beyond what you could buy, part of the store's charm was the owner himself.
"He hired a lot of people that were sort of semi-retired and needed to work part-time. He was very flexible. So that was a big loss for the village. A lot of people counted on those jobs," said Cynthia Pappas, a Wiscasset resident.
It was those jobs that Al was struggling to fill during the pandemic.
"Unfortunately with the lack of labor today and crazy things going on in the world we've decided we're going to pack it in," said Al Cohen, the former owner of Big Al's, in an interview with CBS13 in January 2022.
After 35 years, the store on Route 1 made its final sale in January last year.
"It was sad. Very sad 'cause he's an icon in the community," said Thyle Shartar, a Wiscasset resident.
Now the building will go in a new direction and become what's being called New England's largest sweet shop.
In making the big announcement, the new tenant, 'Sweetz & More' said they were thrilled to be coming to the Wiscasset community and filling the void left behind when Big Al’s closed.
Sweetz and More says visitors will be treated to all sorts of goodies in the 8,100 square-foot space.
That includes more than 800 varieties of retro glass bottle soda, 550 pouches of bulk candy, 80 flavors of saltwater taffy and much more.
It’s going to have candy from all over the world, plus Maine maple products and other souvenirs.
Many residents are happy to see something going into the spot.
"It's good for families, good for kids, good for tourism. So it's all good," Pappas said.
While some locals don't have much of a sweet tooth, they're happy to hear the spot won't be sitting empty.
Greg Gebhard, a Wiscasset resident: It's nice. Wiscasset needs stuff needs a lot of stuff.
Reporter Mal Meyer: Another draw to the area.
Gebhard: Exactly. And we need that.
The sweet shop will be open year-round and plans on employing 25-30 people.
The shop will be opening on April 1.
