In a business partnership, in which communication, compatible personalities and trust are of the utmost importance, it takes a special kind of bond to ensure success.
It’s clear that brothers Gary Gravel and Randy Merchant, new owners of Route 220 Market & Deli in Waldoboro, have that bond — but to the customers who witness the pair and their wives, Jane Oliver-Gravel and Heather Merchant, working together like a well-oiled machine, it might be surprising to learn that the brothers’ sibling connection is only six years in the making.
“It just happened at the right time. Something pulled us together,” Randy Merchant said, standing in the market’s lobby amidst shelves stacked with chips, coffee dispensers and a pizza warmer on the afternoon of April 6.
Gravel was adopted as a baby, so the brothers didn’t grow up together and never knew each other, Oliver-Gravel explained. Gravel had no idea he had siblings until he was diagnosed with a hereditary form of cancer several years ago and was inspired to begin looking for his biological family.
Ultimately, the two brothers connected over Facebook.
When they first met in person, “they just connected,” Oliver-Gravel said.
The brothers’ bond developed over the years, as did the bond between their wives.
“She’s like my sister,” Oliver-Gravel said, as Heather Merchant nodded, standing by her side.
When the Route 220 store, formerly known as Flipper’s Mini Market and Storage, came on the market earlier this year, the opportunity was too good to pass up, Gravel said. The new owners acquired the business on April 2.
The Gravels, who live in Bremen, have a history of purchasing and flipping local businesses, including Damariscotta’s Hilltop Stop, Main Street Grocery, Supplies Unlimited, The Penalty Box, the Waldoboro convenience store now known as McGreevy’s, and the Newcastle Redemption Center.
While the Gravels have sometimes taken over businesses in need of help, that wasn’t the case for Flipper’s, Gravel noted.
“This was not a failing business. This was a case where we said, ‘Oh, let’s do this again — let’s do this with our brother and sister-in-law,’” Oliver-Gravel said.
The family has big plans for the shop, starting in the kitchen with renovations and plans for new equipment, Randy Merchant said.
With 20 years of experience as a chef, Randy Merchant is enjoying being back in the kitchen. The expanded menu he’ll be serving up includes such foods as breakfast pizza, omelets, breakfast burritos, home fries and breakfast sandwiches.
Gravel said that he sees himself as more of a front-of-house guy while Merchant prefers it out back in the kitchen, making the brothers natural partners. The two have a way of communicating without words, Oliver-Gravel noted, adding that she and Heather Merchant often laugh about how remarkably similar the two men are despite growing up apart.
Before ever meeting, the two brothers unknowingly sat within walking distance of one another at the same concerts and attended the same fights at the Lewiston Coliseum, Gravel said.
That the brothers got a late start in their relationship only makes the partnership more meaningful, Oliver-Gravel said.
“We have the same vision,” Randy Merchant said. “We can really succeed here and make this a great thing for the community.”
For Merchant, co-owning the market is a realization of a long-held dream.
“When I was a cook, I always used to imagine that my brother was a cook, too,” he said.
Merchant and the siblings’ third brother, John, grew up together, but John is a mechanic and doesn’t share Merchant’s interest in food service.
After purchasing the market, the Merchants bought a home in Nobleboro and are in the process of relocating from Rumford in order to be closer to their business and newfound family.
“Everybody has been so positive,” Randy Merchant said, adding that he was glad to be working in Waldoboro.
“We really just want to be here to support this community and the fishing community, to get to know them and learn what they want,” Oliver-Gravel said.
The decision to change the name, she added, was a purely logistical decision to ease the ownership transition.
Other things, meanwhile, will remain the same, including the bestselling pizza and fried chicken, which will continue to be made with the same recipes as ever, Gravel said. The entire staff has been retained, and the new owners will continue the tradition of donating food to the Waldoboro Food Pantry, Oliver-Gravel added.
As the new owners get their feet under them and prepare for the busy summer season, there have been some “late nights and early mornings,” Randy Merchant said. But, he said, it has been a rewarding and exciting project so far.
“Our biggest thing is the area and the community. We really want the community to understand that we’re here for them and we want to make a great product,” he said.
As they take on that task, the two couples are also taking advantage of an opportunity to work together as a team and a family.
“They’ve missed a lot, but they’re going to make up for it now,” Oliver-Gravel said.
For more information, find Route 220 Market & Deli on Facebook, call 832-6287, or stop by 2788 Friendship Road in Waldoboro.
This article appears through a media partnership with The Lincoln County News.
