A topless coffee shop that opened in Maine four months ago amid national notoriety was destroyed by arson early yesterday, the state fire marshal's office ruled.
Evidence found among the rubble at the Grand View Coffee Shop, a former motel just north of Augusta, indicated that the 1 a.m. blaze had been set shortly after its owner appeared before the Vassalboro Planning Board to discuss extending the shop's hours and allowing topless waitresses to dance around the restaurant.
Five adults, including owner Donald Crabtree , and two children, who had been sleeping in rooms adjacent to the 25-table coffee shop, were awakened by an ambulance crew who spotted the blaze. All escaped the fire without injury, said Stephen McCausland, spokesman for the state Department of Public Safety.
Investigators determined a cause for the blaze but had not released that information, McCausland said. The uninsured building, which Crabtree said he spent $277,000 to renovate, is a total loss. Crabtree intends to reopen, the Associated Press reported. "I'll keep going," Crabtree said. "I've got some girls out of work, and I'm going to do all I can."
The shop brought a wave of publicity to the town of 4,400 people when Crabtree announced plans to have topless waitresses serve coffee and doughnuts between 6 a.m. and 6 p.m. Nothing in local ordinances barred such an establishment. Many residents were outraged, but others said the community badly needed an economic shot in the arm.
The arson startled residents, who are scheduled to consider a proposal to regulate sexually oriented businesses at Town Meeting on Monday.
Kathy Hutchison, who works at Bridget's Place, a restaurant in town, said she was concerned about the safety of Crabtree and others at the Grand View.
However, the prospect of a business that offers topless dancing is worrisome, Hutchison said.
"Personally, I'd prefer not to have one in town, because of the trouble I think it would bring," Hutchison said. "But I don't live in a glasshouse, so I won't throw any stones."
Crabtree had proposed extending the shop hours until 1 a.m., adding music, and expanding parking. No alcohol would be served, Crabtree told the Planning Board.
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