General Market & Sporting Goods Shop Opens At 6 Mile Falls Store

For over 70 years, the 6 Miles Falls Store has been a fixture along Broadway, in Bangor. Owned by local businessman Steven Pray, of Pray's Auto Sales the business that once occupied that store has been closed since 2019.

Read More: Cafe & Event Space Planned For Old Six Mile Falls Store

For a short time at the begining of 2022, it looked as though a Chef from out of state had plans to open a cafe and event space in the building, but that plan did not seem to come to fruition. So the building remained shuttered for even longer.

In the meantime, another local businessman, Byron Dill Jr. had opened up a sporting goods store in a strip mall at 1205 Broadway, further up towards town.

However, when the building Dill's Outdoors was occupying sold last fall, and the new owner raised the rent, Dill started to look around for a building he could buy, that might be a better fit.

"We were talking about getting our own place, so we checked around...I knew 6 Mile Falls was there so we went and looked into that and decided if we're gonna spend extra money for rent, we might as well buy it ourselves."

A deal was struck with the landowner, and Dill started renovating the old 6 Mile Falls space.

"We've been in there doing work on it since approximately January, and we've been open basically since the first week of May."

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Dill said he's made many improvements to the inside of the building, with plans to start renovating the outside this summer.

"We flattened the floor out, for one thing. The floor used to roll up and down and side to side. We flattened that mostly out. It's almost perfectly flat. We rebuilt the walk-in cooler, which is now going to be the walk-in beer cave with a soda display and all-new LED lighting. Just basically gave it a new facelift inside...resurfaced the walls and stuff."

Aside from his supply of sporting goods, Dill also incorporated items you'd find in many small markets or convenience stores.

"So what we did is move the sporting goods store out there, with all the sporting goods and we have put in, what we call, a 'general store.' So you can get anything from a box of shells, and a gun, to beer, wine, pizza, and sandwiches. If you need a quart of oil, you can pick a quart of oil up...It's a general store."

Dill says so far, people have been thrilled there's a store once again in that spot along Broadway.

"Everybody that's come in is just amazed at how the building looks inside. We haven't got to do the outside yet, which we're gonna do this summer. But all of the people have been tremendous. Just love the fact that the building is opened back up and it's a general store again."

You could stop into Dill's on the way up to camp and get everything from firewood, guns, a picnic table, and the fixings to go on it, all in one fell swoop.

"We have a supplier from Northern Maine that supplies picnic tables. We have tables and planters and Adirondack chairs. We sell camp firewood."

Dill says under the agreement he has with the owner, he's going to lease the building for the rest of this year There's a contract already drawn up for him to buy the store and little house next door on January 1st, 2025.

"Eventually my goal is to build a small piece on to the side...for the guns and ammo...and we'll have the fishing and the hunting stuff there."

Along with their new digs on Broadway, Dill says he's created a new Facebook Page called Dills Outdoors at 6 Mile Falls, where folks can follow to get updated hours and information on their new location.