Mulligan’s – THE BIDDEFORD GAZETTE

There has been almost endless talk on local social media sites about recent traffic congestion in Biddeford and Saco.

The seven-month sewer upgrade project began in April and is expected to be completed in November. In the meantime, traffic sometimes becomes snarled near the cities’ downtown core.

That traffic and constant negative chatter on social media is taking a significant toll on several small, downtown businesses.

Linda Dobnikar and Anastasia Rizas, bartenders at Mulligan’s. say they have taken a “big hit” in tipped wages while their revenues have dropped by more than 40 percent during the last two months (Seaver Photo)

From restaurants to boutique stores, many merchants say they are seeing a drop of roughly 40 percent in revenues, compared to this same time last year.

“It’s really scary, especially for those of us who rely on tipped incomes,” said Linda Dobnikar, the night bartender at Mulligan’s on Lincoln Street.

Travis Kern, co-owner of Nibblesford– a gourmet cheese shop on Washington Street in Biddeford — says he’s trying to keep an open mind about the situation and is open to hearing suggestions from other merchants about creative ways to bring more customers downtown.

“It’s really frustrating,” Dobnikar said. “We had one regular customer from Old Orchard Beach who told us she won’t be coming back to Biddeford until this is all over.”

Biddeford Mayor Marty Grohman says he is also feeling frustrated about the issue.

Grohman has begun weekly community meetings in his office at City Hall in order to “brainstorm” with merchants, residents and others to find creative solutions that might ease the burden.

In response to what is becoming a local economic crisis, the Biddeford Gazette is teaming up with other organizations, including the Chamber of Commerce, Heart of Biddeford and Saco Maine Street in creating a new section called Taking Care of Business.

This new initiative is aimed at helping support local businesses by raising public awareness about the many different businesses and services that are located in downtown Biddeford and Saco.

Each week, a new business profile will be added. We will be working with our social media partners to share these stories with as many people as possible.

If you are a local merchant or would like to nominate a business to be profiled, please contact us.

We kick off this series with a profile about New Morning Natural Foods in Biddeford: A Family Affair Continues at New Morning Natural Foods

*Chase and Kelsey Caras, the new owners at New Morning Natural Foods in Biddeford (Seaver photo)*

Randy Seaver is the editor and founder of the Biddeford Gazette. He may be contacted by email: randy@randyseaver.com

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Why did the reporter cross the road?

To interview a comedy promoter. Duh!

Okay, so that’s not very funny, but maybe you are one of those people who can always make people laugh.

Have you ever thought about doing some stand-up comedy? If so, Patrick ‘Buzz Gordon’ Ouellette of Biddeford wants to talk with you.

For more than a year now, Buzz — as he is known to his friends and family — has been pouring his blood, sweat and tears into creating a vibrant comedy scene in southern Maine. He is a co-founder of the Comedy Mill, which promotes professional comedy shows and runs a weekly open-mic night for aspiring comics who want to perform before a live audience.

*Patrick ‘Buzz Gordon” Ouellette of Biddeford (Facebook photo)*

“It’s not as easy as it looks,” Buzz laughed during a recent interview. “Behind the scenes it’s a lot of work. We’re not getting rich, but we love it. We really love it.”

Buzz – a gregarious guy who always seems to be smiling – is especially excited about an upcoming show at Mulligan’s this weekend.

On Saturday, June 14, Brendan Eyre of New York will return to Biddeford to open for Connor McGrath, a nationally known comic who has appeared on the Comedy Channel and on the Late Night with Seth Meyers show.

“This is a big deal for us,” Buzz said. “We’ve been doing this for a year and now Brendan’s coming back to Biddeford to help us celebrate our one-year anniversary.”

That show will take place at Mulligan’s on Lincoln Street, beginning at 8 p.m.

When asked about the weekly open-mic nights on Wednesdays, Buzz says “there’s nothing like hearing a room full of people laughing.”

We’re not getting rich, but we love it.
We really love it.”
— Buzz Gordon

“I think we could all use some laughs these days,” he said.

The Comedy Mill is also helping promote this year’s Portland Maine Comedy Festival, which takes place at several venues in Portland from July 17 – July 20.

“Sometimes, we barely break even on our shows,” Buzz said. “But we are driven by one thing: we want people to have fun.

“We’re all delinquents, just hanging out,” he added.

But Buzz also has a soft spot. He and his partners regularly donate to the Biddeford Food Pantry. Earlier this year, they organized a comedy show that featured George Hamm, a nationally known comic and Marine veteran from Maine. All the proceeds from that show were donated to the Maine Homeless Veterans Alliance.

“We got to have each other’s backs, right?” Buzz said, saying the Comedy Mill would not have survived without the support of Mulligan’s. “This is a great city, chock full of great people.”

Buzz graduated in 2005 from Biddeford High School, where he was an avid football player. “Football was life when I was in high school,” he said.

Like most people, Buzz followed a winding path to get where he is today. “I remember thinking I wanted to be a cop, and then I thought I wanted to be a teacher,” he said during an earlier interview.

Today, Buzz works for a bio-tech firm near Portsmouth.

When asked what advice he would give to an aspiring comic, Buzz doesn’t hesitate. “Don’t wait. Just do it.”

“You want to make God laugh, Buzz asked. “Tell him your plans for the future.”

Randy Seaver is the editor and founder of the Biddeford Gazette. He may be contacted by email: randy@randyseaver.com

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Tag: Mulligan’s

Downtown merchants struggle, remain hopeful

Big laughs in Biddeford this week