After much anticipation, Hancock Lumber Company celebrated a grand opening of their new lumberyard last Friday afternoon in Bridgton.

The lumberyard, located across Route 302 from the new Hannaford Supermarket, is the first new lumberyard that Hancock has opened in more than 25 years.

The grand opening comes at a time of expansion for Hancock Lumber. Last year, the company’s Windham location at the Windham rotary underwent a large-scale renovation with the addition of a new lumber storage building. The company, founded in 1848, today operates 11 retail locations and three sawmills around the state.

“All of us at Hancock Lumber are very pleased to be anchoring our western Maine operations in Bridgton,” President Kevin Hancock said. “In many ways, building this new facility is a return to our deepest Maine roots. We are excited and inspired to be a part of the Bridgton community, with its proud past and very bright future.”

Greater Bridgton Lakes Region Chamber of Commerce Director Mike McClellan said Hancock Lumber’s decision to move to Bridgton is a sign of better days ahead for the entire northern Lakes Region economy, and it “certainly brightens the Route 302 corridor.”

“The business community is looking at this very positively. The move by Hancock Lumber to Bridgton, in a sense, shows their confidence in Bridgton as a place to do business. It’s a major investment for the company and they expect it to pay dividends,” McClellan said.

The store is located on a 41-acre wooded parcel at the junction of Willet Road and Route 302. It will serve as a hub for Hancock Lumber to ship building materials to job sites throughout western Maine.

The new store has approximately 4,800 square feet of retail space on the first floor. The second floor is devoted to offices for sales staff, estimators and drafting services. The store employs a staff of approximately 30 full-time employees.

The Bridgton store will provide services to professional builders, home remodelers and do-it-yourselfers. The facility has two weather-protected, drive-thru storage buildings, a home planning center and a selection of hardware supplies.

The store is open Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. and on Saturday from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m.