It will be the end of an era as Bull Moose Music at 771 Roosevelt Trail in North Windham will close permanently at the end of this month.
 |
| Bull Moose Music on Roosevelt Trail in North Windham will close at the end of January after a 35-year run at the location. Employees can either transfer to other company locations or receive a severance package. COURTESY PHOTO |
“We’ve made the extremely difficult decision to close our North Windham location at the end of January 2026,” the announcement read. “We have worked hard to keep this store going, but the realities of the space make it increasingly difficult to serve our customers and staff the way we believe they deserve.”
The Windham store offers customers an extensive selection of new and used vinyl records, music CDs and cassettes, video games, movies and other entertainment.
The Bull Moose Music company was founded in 1989 in Brunswick by Brett Wickard, a student at the time attending Bowdoin College. He named the business after a track club he was in during college.
Taking on major music companies and big department stores, Wickard’s upstart business grew from one location in Brunswick to eventually own and operate 11 different stores across Maine and New Hampshire, becoming the largest independent record store chain in Maine and the second largest in New England.
The Windham store opened in 1991 and was popular with teens and adult music fans alike, sometimes featuring live appearances by musicians promoting their albums.
One such event was in August 2025 for the album release of a “Man's Best Friend'” by Sabrina Carpenter. The event featured album listening, giveaways, and exclusive merchandise, as part of a chain-wide promotion. Bull Moose’s Windham location has also been a longtime participant in “Record Store Day” events twice a year and often involving special releases and other in-store activities. Celebrities who have appeared over the years at Bull Moose events are Rihanna, John Densmore, and Jack Black.
Through the years, Bull Moose stores in Maine have included locations in Windham, Brunswick, Portland, Scarborough, South Portland, Lewiston, Sanford, Waterville, Bangor and Biddeford, New Hampshire locations have included stores in Salen, Portsmouth, Keene and Plaistow. With the Windham’s store set to close, that will leave Bull Moose with a total of 10 locations with seven left in Maine and three in New Hampshire.
Company leaders say that their top priority right now is its staff in Windham.
“Every team member has been offered the option to transfer to another Bull Moose location or receive a severance package to help them plan what’s next,” the Facebook announcement read. “We will work together to ensure the best possible outcome for our folks and our customers through this transition.”
Wickard owned Bull Moose Music until January 2022 when it was purchased by company employees. Since then, the Bull Moose location in Sanford was relocated to Biddeford.
According to the Facebook announcement, company leaders expect that the Windham location to be open through January. It will conduct flash sales and other events while working through the remaining store inventory.
“To the Windham and Sebago Lakes community: thank you,” the announcement reads. “We’ve been honored to be part of your lives since we first opened in Windham in 1991 and hope to see you at one of our other 10 locations, especially your neighboring stores in Lewiston or Scarborough.” <
One such event was in August 2025 for the album release of a “Man's Best Friend'” by Sabrina Carpenter. The event featured album listening, giveaways, and exclusive merchandise, as part of a chain-wide promotion. Bull Moose’s Windham location has also been a longtime participant in “Record Store Day” events twice a year and often involving special releases and other in-store activities. Celebrities who have appeared over the years at Bull Moose events are Rihanna, John Densmore, and Jack Black.
Through the years, Bull Moose stores in Maine have included locations in Windham, Brunswick, Portland, Scarborough, South Portland, Lewiston, Sanford, Waterville, Bangor and Biddeford, New Hampshire locations have included stores in Salen, Portsmouth, Keene and Plaistow. With the Windham’s store set to close, that will leave Bull Moose with a total of 10 locations with seven left in Maine and three in New Hampshire.
Company leaders say that their top priority right now is its staff in Windham.
“Every team member has been offered the option to transfer to another Bull Moose location or receive a severance package to help them plan what’s next,” the Facebook announcement read. “We will work together to ensure the best possible outcome for our folks and our customers through this transition.”
Wickard owned Bull Moose Music until January 2022 when it was purchased by company employees. Since then, the Bull Moose location in Sanford was relocated to Biddeford.
According to the Facebook announcement, company leaders expect that the Windham location to be open through January. It will conduct flash sales and other events while working through the remaining store inventory.
“To the Windham and Sebago Lakes community: thank you,” the announcement reads. “We’ve been honored to be part of your lives since we first opened in Windham in 1991 and hope to see you at one of our other 10 locations, especially your neighboring stores in Lewiston or Scarborough.” <
No comments:
Post a Comment