For the first time in over a decade, Freeport has seen a steep decline in vacant downtown storefront vacancies, a result of years of efforts to diversify the types of businesses in a town known for its national outlets.

In 2021, the vacancy rate in Freeport was about 12% with some overhauls needed to coax businesses to return to the downtown.

Today, the vacancy rate for Freeport is at 5%, the lowest since 2013, according to Tawani Whitney, executive director of the Freeport Chamber of Commerce.

“We have a great relationship with all of our landlords and property owners,” Tawani said. “We understand the challenge on both sides and realize that some of these properties have been vacant for a while, and for us to be realistic about how retail changes.”

In an effort to draw more businesses and retain ones already there, Freeport sought to incentivize businesses with the Fit-Up Grant Program, giving grants to property owners and tenants to fix up downtown spaces.

Collin Stacy lives in Freeport with his wife, who has been in the town for generations. They settled down in Freeport to raise their child and wanted to open a gaming store downtown. Realm of Legends is one of the first gaming stores with a range of games for kids and families, as well as more intensive card and tabletop games like “Magic: The Gathering” and “Warhammer.”

Stacy said there aren’t as many places to hang out as there could be for gamers, with the Realm of Legends being one area close by to offer an area for people to play games. He hopes to hold tournaments, with plans to open during the first week of August. Some of the renovations Stacy was working on were building a bathroom on his floor, installing a wall and putting in shelf spaces. Stacy used $10,000 from the Fit-Up Grant to make his improvements to the interior space of his gaming storefront.

“One thing I realized is that we have this huge community of makers, but there is nowhere to hang out,” said Melissa Wilkins, owner of Makers, Artists, Designers and Entrepreneurs (M.A.D.E.), Freeport Market and the new, upcoming café called the Coffee Maker.

Wilkins purchased the building housing M.A.D.E. and the Coffee Maker on 31 Main St. in October 2024. Renovations for the coffee shop were made possible through the $10,000 Fit-Up Grant Program. Those renovations were expected to be completed over the winter but continued into the spring and summer seasons, and Wilkins now plans to open the café in August.

“When we walked into this space, we realized this used to be a home, and it needed to be brought back to that,” Wilkins said.

The artwork from Freeport Market lines the walls of the Coffee Maker to showcase the higher-end pieces for customers visiting the café. Wilkins’ co-owner and coffee roaster Mark Oliveri will source the coffee from local coffee vendors, with most of the food coming from the nonprofit Fork Food Lab in South Portland.

Wilkins said Freeport needs more community spaces — relaxing and fun spots to hang out, offering a different vibe from traditional retail. Wilkins envisions M.A.D.E. and the Coffee Maker as a pitstop for anyone who comes to town.

Revitalizing the downtown

Two businesses, What the Actual Fudge and Sparta Sips and Subs, have a new space in the historic Mallett Office Building on Depot Street, with both owners, James Welle and Ken Sparta, sharing a building space between floors. What the Actual Fudge has a location in the Maine Mall in South Portland, but Welles always wanted a location to build out his business in Freeport since he lives in the town.

“We think it is the perfect time for it, and there are other businesses coming in as well, so I think we are on the cusp of seeing a great revelation and rebirth in Freeport,” Welle said.

Sparta said the Mallet building holds a special place in his heart because his first job was at the Freeport Factory Store across the street. Both Welles and Sparta hope to open their locations on Aug. 7 and were in the process of applying for a Fit-Up Grant last week.

“It’s nice to have a couple of locally owned small businesses right next to each other because we can bounce off each other and share customers,” said Matthew Breece, co-manager of Liberty Graphics at its newest Freeport location on Mill Street, which has been open for just under two months.

Liberty Graphics opened in 1978 in the town of Liberty, creating nature prints using water-based ink, and has grown to three locations. The Freeport store serves as a middle ground for Liberty Graphics, with plans to stay open year-round to attract more clients around the holidays.