New owner of Finn’s happy to be re-opening an Ellsworth staple

ELLSWORTH, Maine (WABI) - Like many in the Ellsworth community, Airline Brewing owner Gary Cresswell was saddened to hear about Finn’s Irish Pub closing its doors for good last July.

“There’s never really a harder decision than having to close down a business you’ve poured your heart and soul into for many a year,” Cresswell said.

Creswell has now entered into an agreement to buy Finn’s and will be reopening Finn’s, keeping the name and the location.

“We were very excited because they’re obviously very talented and competent restaurant owners, and they wanted to keep the vision we had for Finn’s,” said Paul Markosian, Finn’s current owner. ”They wanted to keep it going as Finn’s, and that was wonderful to us.”

“Every building, every business, has its own feel,” Cresswell added. “You know, Finn’s is Finn’s. We’re buying it for Finn’s. We like it for what it was. We don’t feel any need to change it.”

Finn’s had been a staple of the downtown area for more than a decade, and Creswell says he understands what a place like Finn’s means to people in places like Ellsworth.

“Every community needs a pub, a church, and a local convenience store so people have the ability to interact, mix, mingle, meet friends, meet customers, meet potential new customers. So for us, it’s just a great opportunity to give back and be part of the local community,” Cresswell said.

The hope is to have Finn’s open around mid-June. And while he’ll be happy to have folks once again sharing a pint at the pub this summer, it might be a little later than that before the new owner gets a chance to do the same.

“We’re probably going to be running around like crazy,” Creswell laughed. “It’ll just be a blur. If I have a minute to stop and see it, it will probably be November, when we get a chance to sit and look around and enjoy.”

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