Local Businessman Has New Plans For Old ‘Anglers’ Location In Hampden

Brewer Native Nate Freeman moved to Hampden 13 years ago. Freeman, who owns Oldfield Wealth Partners, currently based out of Bangor, has been looking for a spot in Hampden where he could relocate his office, closer to home, but has come up empty...until now.

"I did due diligence on all of the properties that have been for sale at the corner of Route 202 and Coldbrook Rd, but there was not a good fit. I noticed the Angler's site came up for sale years ago, but the price was too high for me to make an offer. When the price was reduced closer to a number I thought I could make work, I reached out to my realtor and friend Jason Fish with NextHome, and he helped me finalize the deal. "

Read More: Angler's Restaurant in Hampden is Closing its Doors for Good

Freeman says it took some outside-of-the-box thinking, but he's now in the final stages of a plan that would not only give him the office space he's been looking for for his own company, but would also open up space for others in the area to do business, too.

"In addition to having an office in Hampden, I also wanted more goods and services available as a member of the community. Looking at the property, I was excited because I knew I could check off both boxes. Build an office for my business, but also develop the rest of the property into something great for the community."

His plan: take the old Angler's restaurant site at 91 Coldbrook Road in Hampden (which closed for good on April 23rd of 2023) and transform it into a brand new business park of sorts.

"I worked with Rob Frank of WBRC to help me come up with a draft of my initial idea for the property... Jim Kiser of Kiser & Kiser did my site engineering and helped me present the project to the town for approval. I am currently in the process of designing the buildings and the feel of the development. I am looking at the buildings having a 'barndominium' feel with space that flows from inside to outside. Implementing large, glass garage doors as exterior walls. I am also looking at trying to implement some of the stone from the current building into the new project."

Freeman indicates that while he wants the site to have a new feel and a new purpose, he's doing what he can to keep some of the site's original charm intact.

"I would like to keep some of the history there once everything is complete. Once complete, the project will consist of 3 separate buildings. One will be my office, the
other will be 12,000 square feet of retail space that can be subdivided. The final building is designed for a restaurant that could have a drive-thru if needed."

Amy Ryder-Johnson, Director of Planning and Economic Development with the town of Hampden, says this is a project they've been working with Freeman on for a couple of years now. She says Freeman purchased the property about a year ago and has been collaborating with the town on what's allowed within that particular parcel's zoning. Ryder-Johnson says Freeman presented his plan in front of the Planning Board on October 8th, and it was approved to move forward. She says folks in the town seem very excited about the prospect of more spaces and places to do business and gather.

Freeman says they're in the initial stages of looking for businesses to occupy the other office/retail spaces and the restaurant.

"We are just starting to take preliminary interest for the space and have already had several inquiries, but we have not finalized any leases as of now."

Anyone interested in more information on the project, or perhaps leasing some of the space, can reach out to Nate Freeman directly by emailing him at nfreeman@oldfieldwealth.com.

Freeman says that he'd like to break ground on the project as soon as possible, ideally this coming spring.