Kids store planned for Beals building
ELLSWORTH When one store on Main Street isn’t quite enough, what is there to do but open a second one? Linda and Hans van der Does opened Toko Ellsworth in 2019 and are now planning Kiddo by Toko for across the street at 95 Main St., the former home of Beals Jewelry Store.
Linda van der Does confi rmed they had closed on the sale of the building in mid-March. However, before opening, the store needs “major renovations,” including plumbing and electrical work.
“We will have a better idea once the major work is started, but hoping for June,” van der Does said.
Beals buildings are under contract
ELLSWORTH The Beals buildings on Main Street are both under contract for purchase by different prospective buyers, according to Ellsworth Realtor Teri Sargent. Formerly home to Beals Jewelry and Beals Gifts, the iconic buildings have anchored the east side of Main Street since 1933.
The jewelry store closed in August of 2020 after 94 years of business.
Soon, “wonderful retail businesses will be occupying them,” Sargent said in an email to The American on Jan. 27.
One of those businesses will be Poppy & Polka Dot, if all goes well with the purchase process, said owner Amanda Beals, who is not related to the Beals family that is selling the property.