What should be where Renys was in Portland? Here’s what readers said.

PORTLAND — On a good day, Sean Dundon doesn’t go anywhere near his car.

Most weekdays he walks or bikes about a mile from his home on the West End of the peninsula to his job at a software company in the East End.

But because he and his wife also have to eat, the 57-year-old Dundon finds himself driving across the Casco Bay Bridge several times each week to shop at the Hannaford or Shaw’s supermarkets or Barber Bros. Meat + Provisions in South Portland.

“It’s literally the only reason I have to get in my car on a regular basis,” he said. “If there were a full-size grocery store where Renys was, it would probably save me 10 car trips a week.”

Dundon is one of about 200 people who answered the Portland Press Herald’s recent query about what should occupy the storefront at 540 Congress St., which Renys left in December after 15 years. Responses — not all of them serious or relevant — were gathered via reader survey and social media.

Dundon’s answer — “Grocery store please!” — was the second most popular response, shared by over 50 people who said they think it should be some kind of food market. He said he’d like it to be something like Barber Bros., and he and others recalled Paul’s Food Center at 585-593 Congress St., which closed in 2016.

The most popular response, shared by at least 70 people, was that it should be a Renys or similar store that sells housewares and everyday essentials. Several people suggested it should be a Marden’s Surplus & Salvage store or a dollar store.

Other ideas ran the gamut, with nearly 30 saying it should be retail or entertainment; 24 suggesting some form of housing or a nonprofit community use; and more than 20 calling for a restaurant, bar or coffee shop.

Tom Nosal, of Portland, said the 25,800-square-foot retail space could be converted into a mini mall with several small stores selling things people need.

“I lament the waning ability to buy practical things on the peninsula,” Nosal said in his survey response. “Where does someone without a car buy underwear? Maybe someone could create a mall by connecting the front and rear doors along a corridor and carving the interior up into 3-4 spaces.”

The Art Deco-style building has been on the market since July, and the price recently dropped 30%, from $4.3 million to $2.9 million, according to the Boulos Co. listing. It includes four leased residential condos above the retail space. The annual lease rate for the retail space is down 21% to $7.50 per square foot, or $193,500 per year.

“I get a lot of calls about the building,” said Boulos agent Cameron Foster. “It’s an important and uncommon property.”

But so far, nothing has clicked, fanning concerns about chronic storefront vacancies along Congress Street. Spokespeople for Renys said the company decided to leave because there are fewer workers downtown, sales didn’t rebound after the pandemic, parking is limited and shoplifting was a challenge.

One Instagram comment said, “If the city cleaned up Congress Street so employees and patrons of any store are not harassed or totally disgusted by just trying to patronize or work in a business, the possibilities would be endless!”

MANY VACANT STOREFRONTS

City officials have struggled to address long-term vacancies in the Congress Street corridor in recent years.

Last summer, the nonprofit Portland Downtown launched its Downtown Ambassador Program, which dispatches crews to clean up needles, graffiti and waste, and to respond to calls about loitering and drug use.

The City Council then decided to levy fines on property owners who fail to fill empty storefronts within six months, saying they foster public safety concerns and drug use in the area. Property owners can avoid paying fines if they allow the city to install art in the storefronts.

According to the city’s website, there are 14 vacant storefronts along Congress Street registered so far, ahead of the May 1 deadline. Eleven opted to display art in their windows and three opted to pay a fine, said spokesperson Jess Grondin.

The former Renys storefront isn’t listed because it has been empty for only four months. Still, city officials are aware of its importance.

“The Renys space is a legacy space,” said Councilor Pious Ali, chair of the economic development committee. “We need something there that should be affordable, accessible retail. Something that will bring people back into that space.”

RETAIL FOR DECADES

For most of the last 100 years, 540 Congress St. has been a prominent retail destination, first as a W.T. Grant Co. department store, then as an F. W. Woolworth Co. five-and-dime and more recently as an L.L.Bean outlet prior to Renys.

Survey respondents suggested it would be a great spot for a burger or barbeque joint, a microbrew or aperitivo bar, laser tag or ax throwing, Korean-style karaoke or Eurotrash disco, a homeless shelter or African cultural center, a makers space or a year-round farmers market.

For Erik Hayes, who lives and works downtown, the best use of 540 Congress St. would be something similar to Renys, where he shopped on a regular basis for linens, pots and pans and other household items.

He hasn’t owned a car for over 20 years and gets around mostly on his electric bike. He acknowledged that downtown Portland might lack the robust resident population to support the store of his dreams, but that won’t knock it off his wish list.

“When it comes to getting household items, I don’t want to go to the mall,” Hayes said. “Renys had everything. I miss that.”