Staff Writer

 Eight years after the Way Way Store sold its last piece of penny candy, it looks like little has changed.

Walking slowly through the Saco store Saturday morning, Peter Scontras pointed out carefully labeled boxes that still line storeroom shelves. In the main part of the store, the wood counters with glass display cases built in the 1920s hold remnants of products sold to generations of shoppers. Shelves are crowded with colorful antique tins, signs and boxes.

A 1942 calendar hangs on one wall near framed photos of the Cousens family that ran the store for several generations. A bulletin board hung near the old penny candy counter is covered with drawings and thank-you notes from children who stopped by to spend their allowance on sweet treats.

Scontras, a retired teacher and author of “Saco Then and Now,” plans to reopen the Way Way Store on Buxton Road by this summer to sell candy, ice cream, canoes, biomass products and other items. He has spent the past month making repairs to the red and white cement block building.

Generations of residents have fond memories of stopping in the store for penny candy, gas or household items. Scontras said the community grieved when the store closed in October 2003.

Eugene “Gene” Cousens built the Way Way Store with his son, Carroll “Caddy” Cousens, from 1927 to 1929. They used a single mold to make each of the red and white cement blocks that give the store its distinctive look.

Scontras said Gene Cousens was an enterprising man who sold gas and later added a mechanic’s garage to the back of his general store. He named the store for its location “way, way” outside downtown Saco. After the fires of 1947, it was one of the only places in York County to buy gas.

Many locals remember buying candy from Gene Cousens’ daughter, Peggy Cousens Tyrell, and her niece, Catherine Cousens, Scontras said. The store is still owned by the Cousens family and is leased by Scontras.

Scontras said he is reopening the store because he needs retail space to sell canoes and he wanted to see the Way Way Store preserved. The store has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places since 1995.

 “What’s very important to us in a historical sense is we rebuild it as close to original as possible,” he said. “This is an old-fashioned general store.”

Scontras and his wife, Bridget, will invite school groups to come in for tours to learn about the old store, its role in the city and how gas pumps worked. A 1916 gas pump currently stored in the building will be restored and put outside so visitors can see how gravity was used to move gas from a glass holding tank into vehicles, Scontras said.

An outhouse next to the store recently was torn down because it was in disrepair. Scontras said he plans to rebuild it to look as close to the original as possible.

Before the store can reopen, Scontras needs final approval from city officials. City Planner Bob Hamblen said Scontras needs a contract zone because the store is in a residential zone and would not otherwise be allowed to reopen. The planning board gave the plan a positive recommendation April 5 and it was well received by the city council during an April 18 workshop, he said.

Hamblen said the council is expected to make a final decision about the contract zone in May. Scontras is scheduled to appear before the planning board April 26 for site plan review.

Since beginning work on the building, Scontras said many people have stopped to find out what he is up to. When people saw the canopy had been removed, they feared he was tearing down the building, he said. The canopy is being replaced because it was in poor condition.

Other work on the building includes the addition of two ice cream windows and a public bathroom. Scontras said he plans to put tables and chairs and a woodstove in the building.

Like many Saco natives, Bridget Scontras said she remembers stopping into the Way Way Store as a child. Her grandfather, a dairy farmer on Louden Road, would buy her Canada mints when they stopped for gas and to chat with the Cousens.

 “In essence, it didn’t change,” she said of the store’s appearance.

Rusty and Jason Whitten of Whitten and Sons of Saco are helping Peter Scontras with the renovation. On Saturday, they began replacing the canopy. Jason Whitten said as a child he often bought a grab bag of candy with his allowance.

 “We always used to ride our bikes down and get penny candy,” Rusty Whitten said. “(Peggy and Catherine) were very nice and always happy to see us come in.”

Jeff Christenbury, a former city councilor who has lived in Saco most of his life, said he got to know Peggy Cousens Tyrell when they sat in the same church pew. He said he would go to the store “once every two weeks if I was lucky.”

 “As a kid, I was mostly interested in the candy,” he said. “It was a neighborhood candy store and a cool experience.”

Christenbury said he clearly remembers standing on an old soda box so he could see candy in the back of the case. He said he and his brother would compete to be the first to stand on the box and order candy from Peggy and Catherine.

 “I’m really excited this local landmark is coming back. It’s a charming store. I can’t wait to go in and take a look,” Christenbury said.

Peter Scontras said he thinks so many people love the store because of the individual attention the Cousens family gave each customer. When they bought penny candy, children stood on an old soda crate and never were rushed, he said.

 “No matter what you were buying, you got their individual attention. When you stood on that box, you were king or queen of the store for however long it took,” he said.

Scontras invites volunteers to help with the renovation, particularly with light construction and cleaning. He said he thinks people are excited to get back inside the store and share the experience with younger generations.

 “It has a special place in the history of Saco,” Peter Scontras said. “It’s always been a special place, always.”