Last Friday night, October 27th, after a lengthy restoration and renovation process, the Lincolnville General Store was re-opened by of the small Maine town’s most well-known citizens: Phish drummer/town Board of Selectmen member Jon Fishman and his wife and town Board of Education member Briar Fishman. According to local Maine paper The Free Press, the long-awaited grand re-opening went off with a bang last weekend with a party featuring pizza fresh out of the stone oven, hot dogs and burgers, a crowd of about 600 people and, of course, live music. Local groups The Mallett Brothers and the Route 17 Ramblers provided the entertainment, with Fishman joining both groups as a special guest.
Phish Drummer Jon Fishman Elected For Local Political Office In Maine Hometown
The store, which was built in the mid-19th century, has been closed for almost a decade. According to a 2016 report in Penobscot Bay Pilot, Fishman and his wife, Briar, purchased the mid-19th century Lincolnville General Store in 2011, but wound up selling it to another family to focus on the upkeep of their making their local farm. After the buyers made initial renovations to the store, the Fishman family put in an offer and wound up buying back the property and continuing the upgrading process.
The store’s focus is on organic and store-made products, including prepared foods and condiments. Since the Fishmans have five children, they can understand the importance of an all-in-one store, and the Lincolnville General Store aims to be just that. The property also features an outdoor porch area, WiFi, and a brick oven pizza stop for residents to come and chat. They’ll also work with local businesses to ensure that they aren’t stepping on anyone’s toes, and are planning to break into groceries and delivery services for the elderly and handicapped townspeople. “Most markets don’t just sell their own stuff,” Briar told the Penobscot Bay Pilot back in 2016. “It takes the community to stock the shelves and we will be working with not only local farmers, but local bakers, local artisans and craftspeople.”
Particularly with Phish toning down the scope of their famously extensive touring schedule this year, Fishman and his family have continued to make themselves an important part of the local Lincolnville community–and make Lincolnville just a little more special in the process.
Congrats to Jon, Briar, and the town of Lincolnville on the new store!
You can watch full footage of The Mallett Brothers Band’s performance at the opening of the Fishmans’ new Lincolnville General Store, featuring a sit-in from Jon Fishman himself, via the store’s Facebook page:
Check out assorted videos and clips from the Lincolnville General Store Grand Re-Opening below via Instagram:
[Cover photo via Lincolnville General Store Facebook]