Tiller & Rye
Opened: 2015
I'll stop beating a dead horse someday soon, but there are so many supermarkets that have opened up in former Rite Aids and other drugstores in the last five years or so. Here's one from a bit before the current trend. This former Rite Aid in downtown Brewer briefly became a furniture store after closing, but since 2015 has been Tiller & Rye, a roughly 10,000 square foot specialty market.
The exterior doesn't have a particularly distinct Rite Aid look, but my best guess is that the drugstore designed this facade to match the somewhat small-town setting. Neither the furniture store nor Tiller & Rye redid the outside extensively, but the inside has been remodeled.
And as you can already tell from the outside, this is no typical supermarket -- less competition for the Hannaford in town and more a supplement for what they don't sell.
The focus here is on natural and gourmet items, with a lot of locally-made products and higher-end selections such as an extensive section for bulk olive oils and specialty vinegars.
Produce and bulk foods are in the first aisle on the right side, and we can tell some things -- okay, most of the interior -- is left over from the Rite Aid days. The mirrored walls definitely are...
At the back of the store is the olive oil and vinegar area, along with meats and prepared foods. There's a small cafe in store.
Looking back up towards the front of the store...
As you can see, the product selection is very specialized, but the interior doesn't feel particularly premium. This being an independent store (in a small Maine city), there's not a lot of competition on the high end, and the unique products here probably speak for themselves.
The cafe in the back corner...
In fact, it looks like many of the fixtures may have even come in secondhand when T&R opened.
Frozen foods and wine are in the last aisle...
The setup here is different from what Rite Aid would've had, but the feeling is the same.
I particularly liked this hand-drawn chalkboard calendar at the front of the store. The unique charm -- like these special events and the many local products -- have probably helped this store stay afloat even as another competitor practically across the street has failed a couple times. More on that tomorrow.
And that brings us to the end of Tiller & Rye! It's nice to see a market that's really specialized, and not just a basic supermarket with a couple of gourmet items. The selection here is well thought out.
Owner: Sarah Morneault and Lindsey Levesque
Previous Tenants: Rite Aid > Brewer Discount Furniture
Cooperative: none
Location: 20 S Main St, Brewer, ME
Photographed: June 13, 2022
...along with a selection of bulk coffee.
And in the front-left corner, there are a few short aisles of natural health and beauty items next to the registers.
Tomorrow, we're headed across the street to see another small supermarket that didn't make it. Come back to check it out!
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