LISBON — Tony and Traci Austin of Lisbon decided two weeks ago to buy the iconic Moxie building downtown.

They closed on the sale Friday and had more than 35 people show up last weekend for an impromptu clearing and dusting out. The local couple is on a tight, self-imposed deadline to turn the former Kennebec Fruit Co. into a family-friendly pub by the time the Moxie Festival starts July 7.

They’ve already picked a pub name: Frank’s, after equally iconic longtime owner Frank Anicetti.

“It’s happening so fast, there’s no time to be nervous,” Traci Austin said Tuesday. “People’s excitement has become our excitement.”

The yellow building at Main Street and Route 196 in Lisbon Falls is more than 100 years old. Anicetti’s grandfather opened Kennebec Fruit Co. there in 1913.

“My husband and I went there as kids,” Austin said. “We bought penny candy just like the rest of the town, got our root beer floats there. It’s a benchmark of the community.”

Austin said at different times it’s housed a dentist office and the town switchboard. More recently, it’s been known as “Moxie headquarters” as that festival has grown in popularity.

Their goal is to keep everything as close to the original as possible and to retain the Moxie-related charm with antiques and memorabilia as they invest in repairs.

“The tin ceilings are in beautiful condition,” she said. “The roof is in dire need of repair, all of the electrical and plumbing will have to be upgraded. It’s a lofty project.”

Tony Austin works in insurance, Traci Austin at an urn business in Gray. It’s the couple’s first business. They’ve named their company Lisbon Pride LLC. 

They made the decision to buy it quickly after talking with a friend about its potential. She declined to reveal the purchase price.

They’ve applied for a facade grant with the town.

“When you have deep roots and believe in the town, sometimes opportunities come across your way and you pick up on them,” Traci Austin said. “Community support has made it not even a second thought. People reaching out, ‘How can we help?’ — it’s been overwhelming and just a wonderful feeling.”

Plans call for apartments above the pub and potentially an embroidery shop run by Traci next to it. 

Austin said Anicetti asked about her husband’s family during closing and discovered that, distantly, they had relatives in common.

“That was kind of interesting to find out there was a family tree connection, not necessarily direct, but a branch,” she said. “(Anicetti) really lit up when he knew that he was selling it to somebody that was family.”

kskelton@sunjournal.com

Over 35 people turned out last weekend to help new owners Tony and Traci Austin clear out the former Kennebec Fruit Co. building in downtown Lisbon Falls. The couple plans to open Frank’s, a family-friendly pub, in the space before the Moxie Festival on July 7. It’s named after longtime owner Frank Anicetti.

The Moxie Festival parade passes by the Kennebec Fruit Co. at the corner of Lisbon and Main streets in Lisbon Falls. The building sold last week to Tony and Traci Austin of Lisbon who plan to create Frank’s pub on the main level and apartments above.