Red Onion

It was in the year 1900 and some would say that it was around
this time that a landmark in Rangeley was in its infancy. The
former owner of the Main Street Market, Mr. Vance Oakes,
stated that " A team of horses pulled the center portion of the
(Red Onion) building from High Street in Rangeley to its
current location on Main Street".

There had been many owners of this building in its 100 years
or so existence, including Eugene Herrik, Edward Hoar, George
J. Beeh and Ray Fox. The building was enlarged over the years
to eventually include a front and a back. In 1935 Leo Taylor
purchased the building with an idea to sell merchandise and
in 1938 Taylor and Sons turned it into a grocery store which
later became " Taylor's IGA." With the town growing and the
need to expand his business, Taylor moved his grocery store
down the road, leaving the building empty.

Later in 1958, Curt Mercer bought the building hoping to turn
it into a co-ed sauna with service of food and drink. Part of
this venture however, was unsuccessful, (can you guess which
part?) so he decided to turn it into a restaurant, naming it the
"Red Onion." Curt died in 1968 and again the building lay
dormant.

It was May 1st 1970 that Skender and Bruni Liedl re-opened
the restaurant and expanded it further to accommodate
visitors and townspeople. To this day, The Red Onion remains
under the same ownership and has become a well-established
landmark of the Rangeley Lakes Region.

Kim Syrel