CAPE ELIZABETH — The Cookie Jar bakery, a fixture on Shore Road for decades, is being renovated and is expected to reopen in a couple of months.
The business has been closed since a storm tore the roof off the building in October 2006. Attempts by owners Donna and Tom Piscopo to repair and reopen the business were stalled until March, when Great Falls Construction of Gorham was hired to restart the renovations.
According to Great Falls, the work is expected to take eight to 10 weeks.
Todd Rothstein, business development and project manager of the construction company, said they are excited to work with the family run business.
“There is a long history to this bakery,” he said. “We are happy to help it get back on its feet.”
The Piscopos have owned the business since 1981. Tom bought it from his parents, Grace and Frank, who owned the business starting in the late 1960s.
Rothstein said Great Falls Construction has been working with the couple for several months to help them re-establish the business. Within the next seven weeks, he said, work crews will transform the building.
New structural elements will be installed and the walls will be repaired. The construction company will install new floors, a new front door, windows and ceiling. Finally, they will install new cabinets and display cases.
“All of this will be complete in about seven weeks,” Rothstein said. “They could be open for business by the middle of May and at least by Memorial Day.”
In a message sent Wednesday, Donna Piscopo said a more specific reopening date may be available next week.
“We love working with a family-owned, local business,” Rothstein said. “We enjoy the work and love the history that comes along with reviving a business. It really shapes the community.”
Amy Anderson can be reached at 781-3661 ext. 110 or aanderson@theforecaster.net
Sidebar Elements
Work crews from Great Falls Construction of Gorham are busy at the Cookie Jar on Shore Road in Cape Elizabeth. The neighborhood bakery has been closed since a storm blew the roof off in 2006, but repairs are now expected to be complete within seven weeks.
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