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