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February 28, 2018

Belgrade Realtors open agency in renovated mixed-use building

Photo / Maureen Milliken The building at 75 Main St. in Belgrade has been leased by Lakehome Group realty. Plans include landscaping, lodging and future retail.

BELGRADE — Upper Main Street in Belgrade Lakes village is getting a fresh look, with the recent renovation of two high-profile buildings in the block between School Street and Hulin Road.

Three longtime area Realtors have combined their collective decades of experience and formed Lakehome Group, and are renovating the mixed use office/retail/residential building at 75 Main St.

The building, about 3,000 square feet, houses their office, and will also include a property rental office and information center. The second-floor space is being renovated for seasonal bed and breakfast-style rentals, accord to Liz Fontaine, a cofounder and broker with Lakehome.

Former garage space on the property is being renovated for use as future retail space.

Also with the group are Dawn Klein and Linda Shultz. Klein has a degree in interior design, and that’s helping with the interior renovation, Fontaine said.

They have a five-year lease, and have been operating out of the new building since January.

Fontaine said the renovation is getting rave reviews. “One day we had something like five people walk in, saying ‘Wow, this looks great,’” she said Tuesday.

The building’s floor-to-ceiling front windows show off an interior stone fireplace. Fontaine said several people have told her that the building makes a big impression now when the lights are on at night,

The building, which hadn’t had a facelift in several years, was most recently rental residential and the yard was used for boat storage. In recent years, it had also been a wine store and the Once Upon a Tree furniture store.

She said once the snow melts, the grounds will be landscaped, with cobblestone walkways, outdoor seating, art elements and more.

Two buildings down, a long-time seasonal consignment antique shop at 87 Main St. is gone. The one-story clapboard building on the corner of Hulin Road has been renovated into three office suites being marketed by Fontaine.

The 2,800-square-foot building was long known for the year-round array of furniture and other antiques on the porch and property, but now has clean white lines and details like pressed tin panels between the three office units.

The building, rebranded the Belgrade Mills Building, was bought in fall 2016 by Robert and Lisa Young, who divide their time between Belgrade and Massachusetts.

The interior was fully renovated, including adding insulation, bathrooms and more. Much of the work was done by Belgrade contractor Craig Alexander.

Aside from the parking in front, the back area has been upgraded to a gravel parking lot.

One of the units, 780 square feet, has been leased to a pair of CPAs. Renovations on the other two — 580 square feet and 996 square feet — were recently completed and ready for occupancy. All three have new bathrooms and additional storage space.

Fontaine said she’s has a lot of interest in the space.

She said even though it’s still winter, the area real estate market is picking up.

“The inventory is low, but there’s a lot of activity,” she said. Activity is across all categories — from lakefront vacation homes to commercial space. “It’s an exciting time to be a real estate agent [in the region].”

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