Colleen and her staff want to thank their customers and show appreciation to our community for your loyalty, friendship, and continued patronage. Join them on Sunday, October 18, 2020, from 11:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m. to celebrate. There will be prizes, raffles, giveaways, free burgers, drinks, chips, and candy bars, and of course, lots of smiling faces!
30 years ago the Allard family purchased Village Variety from the Hall family, which was located in what was once Lenny's Garage in Kezar Falls, with the goal of providing necessary goods, gas, food, and other variety store-type essentials. No stranger to providing great customer service, Colleen had spent much of her career working at restaurants and car dealerships in Maine, most often as the only woman on the used car sales floor.
Passionate about supporting and enhancing her community, while actually staying local, Colleen has no plans of retiring anytime soon, and has plans to open Village Redemption this winter, "I am here to stay for as long as my customers will keep me," she said smiling.
Over the last 30 years, Village Variety has employed countless locals. The store supports many of our local organizations, clubs, fishing derbies, and school programs. Colleen was also sure to obtain bids from local contractors for the 2016 expansion.
"Two important lessons I learned from my parents, my father always taught me that you have to give it away if you want to keep it. And, my mother always said that if you follow your heart, you'll never make a bad decision." - Colleen
In addition to gas, food, propane exchange, etc., hunters know that Village is the go-to spot to tag and weigh game on the State certified scale (one of only 12 in Maine), compare notes, and of course, enter the deer pool. Speaking of deer pool, there will be a special additional bonus drawing for the 2020 deer pool. Every hunter who enters and weighs their deer (after tagging it) at Village will be entered to win a $1000 cash bonus!
In 2016 Colleen was awarded the SCORE Business Plan Execution Success Award for her Village Variety expansion project. “SCORE’s Success Awards are a testament to the innovation, diligence, and dedication of these small businesses and entrepreneurs," said Nancy Strojny, SCORE Portland Chapter chair. Leading by example, a hard worker, Colleen can often be found behind the counter, tagging deer, and performing other daily duties at the store. Her customers are grateful for the unmatched customer service.
"Colleen is so wonderful. She keeps canned items in stock for me... I am vegan and don't drive, so it is nice to be able to pick up items at Village." Thelma, Parsonsfield resident.
Colleen is a full-time Parsonsfield resident with 4 adult children who are also dedicated to serving others. Her son is a Master at Arms in the Navy, 2 daughters are nurses, and another daughter a fire-fighter and paramedic.
As a local female business owner myself, I truly appreciate and respect Colleen's dedication, encouragement, and her ability to stay grounded. Her business ethics and enthusiasm is inspiring. She is a fabulous example of how far you can go when you work hard, give back, and care about your community, and above all, treat people right.
See you on the 18th!
Courtesy photos of the 2016 Village Variety expansion.