A new flex-use outdoor space and beer garden, Quarryside, has opened at Westbrook’s Rock Row. Photo by Navadise Media

Quarryside, a new beer garden and event space at Rock Row, opened last week at the ongoing Westbrook development.

“We wanted to create an outdoor environment to really get people excited about what’s to come, and we also wanted to bring people closer to the quarry,” said Oliver Olsson, chief growth officer of Waterstone Properties Group, the developer behind Rock Row.

Quarryside is perched on the edge of the massive, 400-foot-deep quarry at Rock Row. Olsson estimated that the event space at Quarryside stretches over 30,000 square feet, and will be able to host 1,000 people. The Quarryside space also includes a beer garden – run by Lone Pine Brewing Company – that can host about 300 people and features a 2,400-square-foot tent with picnic table seating inside.

Quarryside also includes a large stage for live music and a children’s playground. Olsson said the site will be open year-round, and developers plan to use it for a rotating series of community events including yoga classes, outdoor films, seasonal festivals, live music, and fairs. Later this month, Quarryside will host the monthly Portland Bike Party as well as Maine Outdoor Film Festival’s Selects Tour.

“The goal is to create a new living room for the community and really welcome all sorts of events,” Olsson said. “We’ve had a number of nonprofits and commercial partners ask us about using the space, and we’re welcoming everyone to share in this new community destination, and Lone Pine is just an incredible draw.”

WARREN’S OWNERS LOOKING TO SELL

The owners of Warren’s Lobster House in Kittery may sell the property to New Hampshire developers, who aim to build condominium units and a marina at the site. Courtesy of Warren’s Lobster House

Warren’s Lobster House, a fixture in Kittery for more than 80 years, may be sold to New Hampshire developers who want to use the property for condominiums and a marina.

Owner Scott Cunningham said his family has entered a purchase and sale agreement for the property with Green and Company Real Estate based in Portsmouth, N.H. Cunningham declined to disclose the sale price.

The developers want to build eight condominiums on Warren’s dock, as well as a 20-slip marina, with 12 boat spaces that will be leased to the public.

“It’s going to be a long process through the Kittery Planning Board as to whether or not they’ll approve it,” Cunningham said, noting that the board started its formal review of the project at its meeting last week, and voted to accept the developers’ site plan sketch.

A post from the Cunningham family on Warren’s Facebook page earlier this month stated in part, “We plan to continue operating (Warren’s Lobster House) well into 2024…and we hope that all of you will continue to dine with us as often as possible. Should the prospective buyer decide to not move forward, it is still our intention to list the property for sale because ultimately it is no longer sustainable to operate and maintain a building located on a pier over the water.”

Cunningham also noted that the sale would be of the property only, not the business, so the family could potentially reopen the restaurant at another location if they chose.

Warren’s was first opened in 1940 by Warren “Pete” Wurn. The Cunningham family bought Warren’s in 1984 and are the third owners of the 350-seat restaurant.

“We were approached with a very attractive offer,” Cunningham said, explaining why his family has opted to try to sell Warren’s. “The restaurant business has changed dramatically since COVID and has become much more difficult than it ever was before.”

Moreover, the property suffered flood damage last December, shutting the restaurant down for more than five weeks for structural repairs.

“My wife and I are getting older,” said Cunningham, 81. “I’m semi-retired. My son and daughter run the place on a day-to-day basis. They feel they’d like to have another life outside of business, and in the restaurant business, outside lives can sometimes be very difficult. So we just felt it was time to start a new chapter in all our lives.

“It’s going to be very hard for us to walk away from it,” he continued. “And it’s going to be extremely hard for so many of our loyal customers.”

BOTTO’S MOVES THIS WEEK

Botto’s Bakery, an East Deering landmark since 1949, will cease its retail operations after moving to a new location in Westbrook this week.

Botto’s is moving to 5 Karen Drive in Westbrook, a facility that gives the bakery an additional 5,000 square feet that will allow it to boost production by 25 percent, according to company officials.

Botto’s office manager Lisa McDonough said the move will take place from Wednesday to Sunday this week. She expects the bakery to be operational in Westbrook by Aug. 20. The bakery had planned to move in April but McDonough said they were delayed because construction at the new site took longer than expected.

The ownership team at Botto’s released a statement explaining that while the new Westbrook location will not have a retail store, the bakery’s products will remain available at many area locations including Hannaford, and small grocers and specialty stores such as Micucci’s and Pat’s Meat Market.

“While we are sad to be leaving Portland, we are excited to begin this new chapter of our business in our new Westbrook facility and continue providing quality, fresh, local products to our customers in Southern and Midcoast Maine,” the owners’ statement reads in part. “We want to thank our customers for their support and let them know they can still order our products. We’ve got a lot of merchants that have been selling them for quite some time.”

NIGHT MARES OPENS

The interior of Night Mares, a new bar at 44 Romasco Lane in the former Nissen Bakery building. Courtesy of Night Mares

New bar Night Mares opened Sunday off Washington Avenue in the former Nissen Bakery building.

Located at 44 Romasco Lane, which formerly housed The Body Architect, a gym, Night Mares can host about 38 customers, according to co-owner Louis Masi.

Masi has partnered on the project with Devan Marr and Christian Roadman, as well as Elizabeth Rzoska, who owns Prairie Baking Company and is opening an adjacent bakery and cafe in the Romasco Lane space later this year.

Masi said the bar’s name originated as an inside joke among the ownership team. “It was just a dumb joke that we held onto for a little too long and then decided it was going to be our bar name, back when we were joking about having a bar and had no real intention of doing it,” he said.

The bar program at Night Mares includes five signature cocktails ($13) as well as wine, beer and mocktails. The food menu features snacks like gougeres and a spicy nut mix ($6-$8), as well as tartines ($13) topped with beets and chevre or mushrooms and tahini.

Night Mares is open Thursday through Sunday from 5 p.m. to 1 a.m.

ORE NELL’S LAUNCHES IN BIDDEFORD

Kittery’s Ore Nell’s Barbecue opened its Biddeford location last Wednesday in the former home of Louis Pizza.

Located at 42 Franklin St., Ore Nell’s specializes in Texas-style barbecue – including smoked brisket, ribs, andouille hot links, pulled pork and chicken – based on the culinary experiences of chef-owner Will Myska, a Houston native. Myska opened the first Ore Nell’s in Kittery in 2018.

The Biddeford location can seat close to 60 customers. For now, the restaurant is open Wednesday through Sunday from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m., though Myska has said he aims to have the venue open seven days a week.

Myska said he had planned to open Ore Nell’s in Biddeford by June, but the project was held up by delays with contractors.