Renys rules out downtown for any future Portland location

Renys store in Portland with closing Dec. 31 sign in window

Photo / Jim Neuger 'Auld Lang Syne' of the times: After 15 years in Portland, Renys' last day of business at the downtown location will be Dec. 31.

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By Renee Cordes

As Renys prepares to end its 15-year run in Maine’s largest city, the family-owned retailer is leaving the door open to another store in Greater Portland — just not downtown.

Its last day of business at 540 Congress St. will be Dec. 31, leaving a major gap in a neighborhood that has grappled with safety tensions and a commercial real estate market in flux.

The mixed-use property is still listed for sale at $4.295 million or for lease at $9.50 per square foot by Portland's Boulos Co.

For now, the store is doing brisk business in holiday decor and winter apparel.

File photo

John Reny

“We gave it our best shot,” John Reny, the company’s president, told Mainebiz by phone on Friday.

He cited several reasons for the decision to leave, including fewer workers downtown since the pandemic, limited parking and frequent shoplifting that has strained staff.

“Some of the thefts were just exceptional,” he said. “It was really tough on our people working there who had to deal with that every day.”

While he’s open to another store in Greater Portland should the right opportunity present itself, Reny is ruling out an urban location.

“Our stores are a kind of destination for people to shop,” he said, “and downtown Portland just really isn’t.”

Other regions

Elsewhere in Maine, Renys opened stores in Waterville and Augusta in 2025. It also has stores in Bangor, Bath, Belfast, Bridgton, Camden, Dexter, Ellsworth, Farmington, Gardiner, Madison, Pittsfield, Saco, Topsham, Wells and Windham, and two in Damariscotta close to its corporate warehouse and distribution center in Newcastle.

The company employs 500 people in total, including 20 in Portland.

Reny said that several will go to work for other Renys locations, which for some will mean taking public transportation.

“We offered a very generous bonus to the people who stayed to the end,” he said. “We’re taking care of everybody.”

Reny said that while its three newest stores in Augusta, Waterville and Bangor are all doing extremely well, its older store in Gardiner (which opened in 1956) “is taking a hit,” partly due to parking constraints in the 6,000-population town.

He also said that the pre-Christmas cold temperatures have sparked sales of winter clothing, noting that “for once the weather has been cooperating.”

Resetting in 2026

In 2026, the plan is to absorb the new locations and renovate existing locations.

Reny said that after this year’s experience, the company is wary of again opening two stores again in a single year.

The company is also navigating the “nightmare” of tariff uncertainty and bracing for the slowdown that comes at the start of every year, Reny said.

“January and February are always tough retail months,” he said. “People spend all their money over Christmas, and then you have winter.”

A 50% Christmas clearance sale at all Renys stores is slated to start Friday, as touted in the company's latest promotional email.

While Renys also sells some merchandise online, Reny noted that bricks-and-mortar stores are best suited to the business model.

"We can't be online with some of the deals we have — you lose the source," he said. "We have new merchandise going into stores every day. How would you keep up?"