Way Way Store in Saco
Nostalgia can be sweet. That’s the lesson the Scontras family taught me during my visit to the Way Way Store in Saco.
Peter and Bridget Scontras — both former school teachers — have spent the early years of their retirement reestablishing the iconic candy and ice cream shop on Route 112. The Way Way Store was an ideal selection for Maine Features. Not only does the building represent over a century of Maine history, but Peter and Bridget are experts on the town as they are lifelong Saco residents. Peter gave me a detailed account of the Way Way Store’s fascinating role in the community over these many years. He is an enthusiastic and experienced instructor. Over his career, more than six thousand Saco children sat in his classroom. Many others have learned the local history from a book he wrote in 1994 entitled, Saco, Then and Now: A Diverse Heritage. Some of its pages are dedicated to the Way Way and the book signing was held in the store, but this was more than fifteen years before Peter would take his place behind the candy counter. He could not even imagine the next life chapter that would be written.
At the time Peter was signing his newly published book, the Way Way Store was run by the same family who started the business in 1916. Eugene Cousens first launched the new venture in his barn. Soon after, he moved into a simple wooden structure and then expanded into the present building which he constructed by hand. In true Maine spirit, the family did the work themselves — right down to mixing the cement which remains rock solid nearly 100 years later. Along with the store’s unique design, the vintage gas pumps are sure to catch your attention as you drive up to the former filling station. Today it takes less than five minutes to reach the place from the Maine Turnpike, but in its early years the store was “way way” out of town — and so its unusual name was formed and stuck.
The Cousens family ran the business generation after generation. In 1995, the Way Way Store was officially included on the National Register of Historic Places. Over the years, both young and old built memories in this small, but important community hub. Grown-ups gathered to exchange news and children arrived to select their favorite penny candy. But in 2003, the Cousens family made the difficult decision to shutter the store as no one was available to carry on the operation.
For eight years, the Way Way sat dormant. In 2011, it was revived by the Scontras family. Peter had only been looking for a place to sell used canoes and approached the Cousens family (now in its fourth generation) about the possibility of renting their store location. One surprising thing led to another and — before he knew it — Peter was leasing not only the grounds, but the building from the family (you can read more about this development on the third page of this fascinating article by Tourist and Town).
Once again, penny candy filled the dishes under the glass and ice cream was available to enjoy while sitting on the benches outside the store or on the bright red parlor stools at the counter inside. To say the town rejoiced at the news is a bit of an understatement. The ripples of celebration extended all the way to the floor of the U.S. Senate as Olympia Snowe congratulated the Way Way Store on its grand re-opening.
Many generations of children have stepped up to this counter to choose their treats.
Your favorite flavors of Gifford’s ice cream await…
The day that I visited the Way Way Store, the same remarks were repeatedly heard. Customers were taken back to their childhoods as they purchased candy they haven’t seen in years. Others reminisced about coming to the store as a child. Or they commented that they saw the building in passing and had to pull in. Over and over, they expressed how pleased they were that the Way Way is still there. You might think the store reopened last week by the enthusiasm of the visitors, but the Scontras family is now in the eighth year of their labor of love. Originally, they expected to run the business for two years. But it’s hard to hang up your hat when you’re bringing such happiness to others.
The Scontras family
To hear Peter in his own words, check out this video from WCVB, a TV station in Boston. [Note that there is a mistake in the closing comments as the Scontras family didn’t purchase the building, but rather leases from the Cousens family]
The Way Way Store’s original cash register
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