'All roads lead to Bradbury's': Meet the couple who bought historic Cape Porpoise market

KENNEBUNKPORT, Maine — By the time she and her husband bought Bradbury Brothers Market in July, Michele Tourangeau already knew the place well.

“I was a sales rep for almost ten years,” Tourangeau said, sitting in the second-floor office of the market on Sept. 27. “I sold beer and wine in the southern part of the state, and this was one of my customers.”

She liked the place, the way it was spacious, not cluttered, and had a historic, comforting feel. She especially liked the staff and the owners, first Stedman and Betsy Seavey, and then, come 2016, Jim and Christine Faiella.

“I loved coming here,” Tourangeau said. “Everyone was just so nice.”

Now she and her husband, Tim Pasterczyk, own the place.

Tourangeau and Pasterczyk moved to Maine from Massachusetts in 2013 and launched their first business venture together by purchasing Puffin Inn, a bed-and-breakfast in Ogunquit. They sold the inn in 2021.

Tourangeau said the Faiellas approached her and Pasterczyk and asked them if they would be interested in buying Bradbury Brothers Market. Tourangeau said she and Pasterczyk had not been thinking about a store when considering their next business venture, but the idea did have some appeal. They agreed to meet with the Faiellas and discuss the possibilities.

“We had a really casual conversation about the operation and such,” Tourangeau said. “Then we started looking at the numbers and talking about the transition and what it would look like. They were super committed to working with us and helping us through. We felt extremely comfortable with that, and we went from there.”

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Bradbury Brothers Market: A fixture since 1934

Bradbury Brothers Market has a long history at its home at 167 Main Street in Cape Porpoise. In 1934, a local farmer named Frank Bradbury sold 100 hens from his barn, cashed in his family insurance policies, and purchased a small structure on Main Street. He and his wife, Alta, opened Bradbury’s Grocery there.

It was a modest start, according to the market’s website.

“At first, the Bradburys sold eggs and milk from their farm, and Alta cooked short-order meals over a three-burner gas stove in a large iron frying pan.”

In 1942, Bradbury decided to expand his business. He and his son, Wilbur, purchased the store across the street and moved their market there – and there it has stayed, and grown, ever since.

The store became known as Bradbury Brothers Market when Wilbur teamed up with his brother, Milton, an Army veteran, to run the place, which they did until the 1970s. In 1977, the brothers sold the market to Vic Chewning and Jon Swennes, and for the first time in its history, the business passed out of the Bradbury family.

But returned to it in 1990. That’s when Tom Bradbury and Stedman Seavey, both third-generation cousins, bought the market and began operating it together. In 2005, Bradbury sold his half of the business to Seavey and began focusing full-time on the Kennebunkport Conservation Trust. Seavey ran the store solo for another ten years and then sold the business to the Faiellas in late 2015.

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New owners to honor Kennebunkport market’s rich history

As the new owners at the helm, Tourangeau and Pasterczyk said they plan to keep a good thing going while adding their own flourishes as time passes. Music is now piped into the market, for example, offering easy listening as customers order a sandwich at the deli, or stand in line at the cash register, or browse the aisles filled with groceries, beers and wines, bakery goods, greetings cards, locally made items, and so much more.

Of all that Tourangeau and Pasterczyk have inherited as the new owners, there is one part about which they are most appreciative: the staff. According to Tourangeau, everyone who worked for the Faiellas has stayed on with her and her husband.

“There’s depth and a lot of pride and ownership that the staff has,” Tourangeau said. “They’ve just really helped, as well.”

Traces of the market’s rich history remain, of course. Near the back of the store, you can still see the old-fashioned counter and mailboxes that were in place when the site also hosted the local post office.

Tourangeau said she knows that the Bradbury Brothers brand is something that is important to the community.

“Our intention is certainly to honor that, respect that, continue that,” she said.

She and Pasterczyk even plan to build on the store’s tagline, which the previous owners coined. It’s an apt one, given the market’s reputation as a community hub and as a choice spot where the key streets in Cape Porpoise meet.

“All roads lead to Bradbury’s,” Tourangeau said. “We’re going to capitalize on it. You’re going to see it a lot more on our merchandise.”

This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: Bradbury Brothers: New owners take over Cape Porpoise market