WATERVILLE — The building that formerly housed the Weathervane Restaurant is in a prime location just off Interstate 95 on Kennedy Memorial Drive and would be a good spot for another business, according to local officials.

The seafood restaurant closed Monday, laying off 25 people. It was one of four Weathervanes that closed because of economic conditions, according to Kittery-based Weathervane Seafoods. The South Portland, Brewer and Bedford, N.H., restaurants also closed. Those in Kittery and Belfast are the only two that remain open. The Belfast restaurant is seasonal.

The Weathervane Restaurant & Lounge on Main Street in Readfield is not associated with Weathervane Seafoods.

The Waterville building at 470 Kennedy Memorial Drive, built in 1969, is assessed at $647,000 and is on 2.68 acres, according to city assessing records.

Kimberly N. Lindlof, president and chief executive officer of the Mid-Maine Chamber of Commerce, said Tuesday that it is difficult for her to imagine an immediate use for the building other than as a restaurant.

The Waterville Weathervane restaurant opened in 1986. Prior to that, The Silent Woman — also a restaurant — was located there.

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“But I think there are a lot of possibilities for what it could be,” she said. “We should be thinking about what we would like to go in there. I’m not really inclined to put another restaurant in there because I think it’s a tough business to be in the restaurant business in Waterville right now. A professional men’s clothing or women’s clothing store would be great.”

The Clothing Gallery in Waterville closed a few years ago. Earthbound, a downtown clothing store, closed in October, which was a loss to the city, Lindlof said.

She said she learned about the Weathervane’s closing on Tuesday.

“I read about it in the paper this morning like everyone else,” she said. “Even though they were a chamber member, they didn’t reach out to us. I didn’t have any idea that it was this bad.”

She said she and others probably will brainstorm about what an appropriate use for the site would be, and then officials will try to find someone to occupy it.

Don Plourde, broker-owner of Coldwell Banker Plourde Real Estate in Waterville, said he thinks the site would be good for a new business.

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“I wouldn’t be surprised if a franchise picks it up,” Plourde said Tuesday. “I think it’s a good spot with good visibility. The only question would be access in and out of it, if somebody has high traffic use, such as a Dunkin’ Donuts or Tim Hortons.”

Plourde said he doesn’t disagree with Lindlof about the need for clothing stores, but they tend to congregate together with other clothing stores or in malls.

The economy, he said, is getting better — a message that came across loud and clear last week at a conference he attended in Portland that included Maine real estate developers.

“They’re very optimistic about business in the state of Maine,” he said. “They didn’t discuss Waterville specifically, but with everyone doing well — Bangor, Portland, Lewiston-Auburn — I think we’ll all do well.”

The local Weathervane’s general manager, Sean Callahan, said Monday that employees were notified Sunday of the closing. Jeremy Gagner, chief operating officer of Weathervane Seafoods, said in a statement that the family was sorry to have to make the difficult decision to close. The Waterville property is owned by Gagner Family Partnership, LLC.

A telephone number listed for Gagner Partnership was not in service Tuesday. A call placed Tuesday to the Weathervane corporate headquarters in Kittery was not returned.

Amy Calder — 861-9247

acalder@centralmaine.com

Twitter: @AmyCalder17


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