Ed Herr sees the sale of his junk store in Woolwich as part of the changing character of U.S. Route 1, which from Kittery to the midcoast has been a mecca for tourists who like to stop at Maine’s eclectic small shops.
Ed’s Stuff, which sold for $190,000 on Aug. 2 after 16 years in business, will give way to a recreational marijuana shop, one of three the town allows to be located on a one-mile stretch just north of the Sagadahoc Bridge across the Kennebec River from Bath.
His closure follows that of another Route 1 icon, Big Al’s in Wiscasset, a discount store that shuttered at the end of 2021. Both were victims of pandemic restrictions that hampered business. Herr also received a cancer diagnosis that made it difficult for him to continue in the store.
“It just got to where the people weren’t there,” Herr said.
Ed’s Stuff included more than 1,700 square feet of what he advertised as “recycled goods, old and very old, and if I don’t have it, you don’t need it.”
His inventory, gleaned from yard sales, the internet and fishermen dropping off old buoys instead of taking them to the dump, spilled outside almost to the road, where used toilets, boats, sleds and all manner of items greeted visitors as they drove north over the bridge.
Nearby businesses and residents had mixed reactions to the closure of the store, which is one of the first Woolwich businesses visible after crossing the bridge.
Kathy Missal, owner of the…
