Bull Moose, a Portland-based purveyor of music, books, movies and games owned by its employees, said it plans to close its store in North Windham after 35 years in business.
The company plans to close the store, located at the North Windham Shopping Center, at the end of this month.
“We have worked hard to keep this store going, but the realities of the space make it increasingly difficult to serve our customers and staff the way we believe they deserve,” the company said.
Bull Moose, led by its founder and interim CEO Brett Wickard, gave no further reason for the closure.
“This was a difficult decision,” Wickard said in a statement emailed to Mainebiz.
“We’re offering affected staff positions at our other locations, and our priority is supporting them through the transition,” he added. “We’re grateful to our team for their hard work and to the Windham community for many years of support.”
Wickard founded the company in 1989 while still a student at Bowdoin College in Brunswick and sold it to employees in early 2022 via an employee stock ownership plan.
He also leads FieldStack, a Portland software company he founded in 2013 that supplies data and analytics to retail clients.
Bull Moose’s departure from North Windham follows last year’s purchase and renovations of the shopping center located at 765 Roosevelt Trail Road by brothers Mark and Eric Giguere.
As Bull Moose goes through its remaining inventory in North Windham, it expects to offer “flash sales” and host events before closing. The store opened in 1991.
Information on the number of employees affected by the closure was not immediately available.
Bull Moose’s other stores are in Bangor, Biddeford, Brunswick, Lewiston, South Portland, Scarborough and Waterville, as well as three in New Hampshire. The Granite State locations are in Keene, Plaistow and Portsmouth.