![]() "What would 20-year-old Brett dream about for Bull Moose," he said he asked himself. Wickard said several years ago he started to think about the next chapter for Bull Moose. He had founded FieldStack, a Portland-based retail management software company, in 2014, which he said was taking up all his time and he realized his kids were older than he was when he opened the first Bull Moose store. As of the time of the vote, The Eagle-Tribune reported, none of the chain's other locations were taking this action. The store was closed for several weeks, but by mid-June the employees were offered their jobs back with back pay, and the store reopened. They were given no reason for the decision, they said. The newspaper reported Salem location employees said after they objected to the company ending its mask mandate for customers in the spring, the staff of 20 was informed in a mass email that their employment was terminated. Employees of the chain's Salem, N.H., store, who were suddenly fired and then rehired earlier this year, voted unanimously in September to unionize, according to a report by The Eagle-Tribune. The chain has experienced some turbulence in its relationship with employees in the last year. "And one in 2040 will have completely different things for sale." "The store that I opened in July 1989 has nothing in common with a Bull Moose store today," Wickard said. That's our asset."ĭining out: Seacoast restaurants that closed and opened in 2021 We know our customers, we know the community, we are small enough to adapt. He gives the example of Magic: The Gathering, a popular trading card game. We can sell other things that build that connection," he said. "We have the fans, we have the customers who want to connect. He said he concluded Bull Moose had a much more important asset than just music. He said he would attend music industry conferences as the industry began to change and think the record companies "own all the cards" as formats began to evolve with technology. "The arts community is strong, but with the pandemic it's temporarily slowed, but we know, both in Portsmouth and Portland, it's there and ready to roll." How Bull Moose evolvedĪs Bull Moose encountered changes in the music industry, Wickard said it was able "not just to adapt, but really grow during that period." "Portsmouth is still thriving, I love the direction it's going," Wickard said. 'Coming home': State Street Saloon returning to downtown Portsmouth at new locationĪn active supporter of local music and arts scenes near its stores, Bull Moose said it has paid more than $5.5 million directly to local musicians, artists and venues since 2002 in local music, movie and book sales, and in ticket sales for shows at local venues. "It was about helping to build up an arts community, and Portsmouth already had that so it was about expanding that and becoming part of it." "Bull Moose was never just about selling stuff," Wickard said. It was great to be part of a downtown, part of an arts community." "Portsmouth had all the advantages of a big city, with none of the disadvantages. "It was a growing, thriving town," he said. The store remains open on Congress Street. Opening the store in Portsmouth in 1996 was a little intimidating, he said. "I had no idea what I was doing," he said, admitting his method was to buy one CD from any artist that had released two albums, thinking if they were good enough to have a second album, they had a following. 'Rigged' cannabis shop process?: Sweet Dirt threatens to sue Kittery over lottery system When summer came and he still didn't have a job, he turned to the Yellow Pages to find a CD distribution company and began ordering CDs. ![]() The record store in Brunswick had closed, and he started telling everyone he was going to open a store. ![]() I was fascinated by it," he said, giving the example of a concert where all in attendance have a shared experience listening to a band and the unique ability of even one song to bring people together. "I was a 20-year-old nerdy kid that loved music and used it to connect with other people. ![]() Wickard opened the first Bull Moose store in 1989 in Brunswick, Maine, while he was a student at Bowdoin College. I am so pumped to cheer on the employees." How Bull Moose got started "Bull Moose is people, many of whom have given a good part of their adult life to build it, making it what it is," he said. "It's about building an ownership culture and seeing where they want to take it This is a rag-tag group that all together built this thing.
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