By Carol McCracken (Post # 2,252)
Business owners on Exchange Street were in for high drama when they arrived at work this morning. They were stunned to see Exchange Street swarming with police officers. They were all over the place according to one store owner on Exchange Street.
Business owners tried to get into their stores to open them up for another workday. Instead they were greeted by police telling them not to go into their stores. When they insisted they had to get in to open up, business owners were told they could go in but to stay away from the glass windows. And, above all else, don’t let customers in. .
Police received an emergency call sometime before 10:00 am. The caller said he’d heard a ticking noise as he passed by a mailbox on lower Exchange Street. The mail box is located in front of Pandamonia. A bomb of some sort? Police arrived with scanning equipment which was hooked to an electrical source inside City Beverage, a business owned by Joe Soley. There was considerable discussion as to who would open the mail box – would it be the Portland Police Department or the Postmaster General – both were somewhat reluctant to be put in such a dangerous position. The mailbox was scanned and nothing explosive was found. After opening the box up, a dead smoke detector was found – tick,ticking away, End of Story!
Jewelers’ Row is the name given to Exchange Street by some of its business owners, A rough count is that there are currently 4 jewelers stationed along Exchange Street. Non-compete clauses are common in leases. But they can also be ignored as well. But, rumor has it that a fifth jewelry business is about to burst on the scene – to be located in the former House of Jerky location. Before that, it was “Mornings in Paris.” a popular coffee house – forced out because of a huge rent increase. As one jeweler put it: “We are all a little different. There is plenty of business for all of us.”