Have no fear: The Carhartt sales will continue.

This week CBRE/The Boulos Co. announced that Paul Poliquin had sold his 15,000 -square-foot building at 277 Lisbon St. to 277 Lisbon Street LLC for $550,000.

Kevin Fletcher of Malone Commercial Brokers and Donald Kilbreth of The Masiello Group-Auburn brokered the deal. 

Poliquin said he entered a long-term lease with the new owner and has no plans to close Paul’s Clothing & Shoe Store, the long-term downtown fixture.

He’s been in retail on Lisbon Street for 43 years.

“My goal is going to be 50 years, and then I’m going to slow down,” he said.

Bid and buy

Goodwill is trying something new, and quiet: the weekly silent auction. 

Spokesman Ken Christian said 30 Goodwill Industries of Northern New England stores started the silent auction concept in late May, picking a few unique donations and setting them out front. New items go up on Friday and the auction ends Thursday at closing.

The Auburn Goodwill offered a vintage maritime shadow box and a Babe Ruth stein its first week.

Then, unfortunately, the stein was stolen.

Blueberry pottery pinch-hit for it instead and ended up selling for $30, the shadow box for $50, Christian said.

A Harry Potter bedding set and a large tool set are up this Friday. Bids have to be made in-store, in person.

Like all purchases there, he said proceeds fund workforce programs and the neuro-rehab centers in Lewiston and Portland.

“I haven’t gotten complete results from across the agency, it seemed to have started out pretty well,” Christian said. 

Talk and tour

Got plans for next Tuesday?

In honor of World Refugee Day, an event starting at 4 p.m. at the Lewiston Public Library celebrates local refugee business owners. They’ll talk about opening their stores and at 4:30 p.m. guides will lead tours downtown to check out shops along Lisbon Street.

The event is being put on by several agencies and nonprofits.

According to a news release, CEI has helped 220 immigrants in Lewiston-Auburn over the past decade create 72 new businesses through its SmartStart program.

“It’s going to be great,” Androscoggin County Chamber of Commerce President Matt Leonard said. “We have to have a paradigm shift from trying to interact with our immigrant community to include them. We’re not interacting, we’re including, and that’s what we hope to start.”

Quick hits about business comings, goings and happenings. Have a Buzz-able tip? Contact staff writer Kathryn Skelton at 689-2844 or kskelton@sunjournal.com.