In business for 94 years, Wigon Office Supplies gives stock to teachers before closing
Deering High School teacher Christine Boudreau reaches for pencils at Wigon Office Supplies on Tuesday. The store will close this fall after 94 years in business. (Shawn Patrick Ouellette/Staff Photographer)
PORTLAND — Christine Boudreau, a math teacher at Deering High School, grinned as she tucked notebooks, binders, pens and pencils into a denim tote at Wigon Office Supplies on Tuesday morning.
Boudreau was among dozens of local teachers and students who stopped by the 94-year-old business for a back-to-school giveaway in anticipation of the shop closing this fall.
“I’m so excited right now,” Boudreau said. “It’s a sad moment to benefit from, but it’s so appreciated.”
The Old Port fixture was established on Free Street in 1932 by the late Joe Wigon. His daughter, Sally Wigon, has owned and operated the business since 1951.
Now 106, Wigon runs the shop with help from family members and friends and was unable to attend the giveaway.
“I’ve loved every year of this,” Wigon said via email. “If these supplies can help even one teacher get their classroom ready, that’s the best way I could ask to put them to use.”
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Sally Wigon at her desk at Wigon Office Supplies in 2023. (Brianna Soukup/Staff Photographer)
The shop has survived the Great Depression and the COVID-19 pandemic, but it never computerized or accepted credit cards.
Margaret Busby is a family friend who helped to oversee Tuesday’s giveaway from 11 a.m. to noon. A second session was scheduled for Wednesday from 1:30-2:30 p.m.
“It’s a hard ending because it was her father’s store,” Busby said. “There’s some sadness, but (Wigon) has also said that it’s time.”
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For years the shop has operated only three days a week, Tuesday-Thursday, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Busby said the shop will be winding down operations through the end of October.
The giveaway was organized by Wigon and her landlord of 50 years, J.B. Brown & Sons, another longtime family-owned business in Portland. They invited teachers from Portland and Westbrook public schools to take anything off the store shelves free of charge.
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“Sally and her family built something that meant more to this city than office supplies,” said Tuck O’Brien, president of J.B. Brown. “Wigon Office Supplies is a true institution. We wanted to celebrate that legacy by putting it to good use through our teachers.”
Deering High School teachers Christine Boudreau, left, and Lily Withington choose items offered for free at Wigon Office Supplies in Portland on Tuesday. (Shawn Patrick Ouellette/Staff Photographer)
Founded in 1830, J.B. Brown now owns 2.8 million square feet of commercial real estate in Portland, South Portland, Westbrook and Bangor. That includes the Free Street Block where Wigon Office Supplies is located.
“We have a pretty robust group of tenants in this block,” O’Brien said, including El Rayo Taquería, Pinecone and Chickadee gift shop and Arabica Coffee Co.
O’Brien expects find a new tenant for Wigon’s space by late fall.
Wigon Office Supplies on Tuesday. The Portland business opened on Free Street in 1932. (Shawn Patrick Ouellette/Staff Photographer)
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Tagged: downtown, maine businesses, maine retail, portland maine, real estate, schools, teachers
Kelley writes about Maine businesses large and small, focusing on economic development, workforce initiatives and the state’s leading business organizations. Her wider experience includes municipal and. More by Kelley Bouchard
