FRIENDLY COMPETITION is revving up on the Seacoast.
Seacoast Indian Motorcycle opened less than a third of a mile away from longtime Seacoast Harley-Davidson in North Hampton.
The new Indian dealership opened at 32 Lafayette Road, which was once home to Golden Garden Chinese Restaurant, has been vacant since 2016. Nault’s Powersports, which has three locations and sells everything from ATVs to motorcycles to snowmobiles, opened the dealership.
Nault’s established in 1908 also operates locations in Littleton, Manchester and Windham. The brand started out selling pedal bicycles.
Owner Richard Nault and general manager and CEO Curt Grenier scouted out locations before landing on the former restaurant, which was set to be developed into a Starbucks, but the traffic overflowing onto Route 1 proved to be problematic.
Grenier designed the space himself, which has basement storage and two floors of merchandise and bikes on display. He didn’t want bikes just lined up in a row like many old-school shops.
“I wanted to create an experience,” Grenier said. “I wanted people to walk in and feel like, ‘This is something I want to be a part of.’”
Because of branding restrictions, the Nault’s name could not be used for the Indian dealership. The brand wanted to land in the Portsmouth area, before Grenier proposed North Hampton in close proximity to Harley-Davidson and Max BMW Motorcycles.
“We are all in the same boat,” Grenier said. “I don’t really believe I am going to steal customers from Harley and I don’t think Harley is going to steal customers from us. That is the beauty of what we sell, nobody needs a motorcycle, right.”
He said the businesses will easily co-exist like car dealerships that tend to be near each other.
He added, “competition is a good thing. It is a healthy thing. It is not something that should be looked upon negatively.”
The dealership opened the day after Thanksgiving, but will celebrate its grand opening this weekend. A ribbon cutting ceremony took place last week.
Renewal in Keene
Machina Kitchen & ArtBar in Keene will temporarily close to “rejuvenate and realign with the core values that guided Machina’s original vision” until Monday.
The break was needed for extensive staff training, menu updates, and planning of future events and community activities, according to a news release.
“The decision comes after a challenging period marked by the pandemic and economic pressures, including significant inflation impacts. Despite these hurdles, the resolve to maintain Machina as a cornerstone in our community has never been stronger,” the release reads.
The restaurant will reopen with a new dinner menu on Tuesday. A grand reopening dance party themed “Titans of Industry” is planned for Friday, May 10.
Aroma Joe’s grows
A fourth Aroma Joe’s opened in Manchester inside the Mobil gas station’s convenience store at 1095 Hanover St. The drive-thru and walk-up store is 340 square feet, according to a news release.
The space was previously home to a Nadeau’s Subs.
The store is owned and operated by Robert and Tracy Hanson, who have opened six locations in the past nine years, including a store at the Manchester VA Medical Center.
The new location is set to hire about 18 people.
“Working within local businesses like the VA and now the Mobil gas station has allowed us to spread our unique brand of positivity even further. I look forward to connecting with more customers and helping new employees grow their careers with us,” Robert Hanson said in the news release.
The company has 114 locations across Maine, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Florida, Rhode Island, Connecticut and New York.
Common Man plans
Speaking of gas stations, Common Man Roadside and its partner Irving Oil have plans in the works to open another location on Manchester Street in Concord.
The main address is 30 Manchester St., but includes combining multiple lots.
Plans call for a 5,750-square-foot gas station, convenience store, six fueling islands and accessory car wash. The plans will be presented to the Concord Architectural Design Review Committee on Tuesday.
A new bank is part of another plan at 16-22 Manchester St.
Besides the two rest areas off of Interstate 93 in Hooksett, Common Man Roadside has smaller gas station locations in Epsom, Manchester and Plymouths. Others are in the works in Derry and Portsmouth.
If you have an interesting business or commercial real estate story idea email reporter Jonathan Phelps at jphelps@unionleader.com.
