Nov 10, 2007

Store gazingBy Kristen AndresenBangorNews.com

Never have I been so excited to not find a parking space.

Last Friday night, as I drove around and around and around downtown Bangor, I noticed something unusual. Not only had the sidewalks not been rolled up —it was 6:15, after all — but there were actually people milling about. Lots of them.

For years, people have been talking about a Main Street renaissance. This weekend, it actually felt like a reality. Though the closing of Ofelia’s certainly is a Central Street setback, the stars — or stores, as the case may be — are finally aligned.

Take, for example, the reason for my parking-space search. Friday marked the grand opening of Bella Luna, the hip new women’s boutique at 48 Main St. And “grand” really is the only way to describe this clothing store filled with unique, affordable, utterly stylish items that don’t look like everything else around here.

Owner Heather van Frankenhuyzen, a Michigan native with a degree in fashion design, moved to Bangor a year ago with her husband, Ahmed. She has long dreamed of opening her own boutique, and she has a background in retail, most recently in Seattle. With Bella Luna, her dream has come true. And so has mine — a shopping destination for women older than 14 but younger than grandma, all wrapped up in a chic little storefront that isn’t jammed with merchandise is long overdue. Van Frankenhuyzen has brought in lines from Las Vegas and Seattle, as well as her own jewelry designs, which are gorgeous.

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