WEST PARIS — Mallard Mart will soon nearly double its space to provide extra seating for its eat-in customers and more room on its sales floor for added products.

The store, near the intersection of Route 26 and Main Street, is expanding its footprint with the recent addition of a 28- by 52-foot manufactured building.

Ed Michaud, who has owned the store with his wife, Nancy, for nearly 16 years, said the addition has been in the works for a couple of years. The new space will likely be ready for customers near the first of the year.

About two years ago, when Michaud went to the Planning Board for the installation of new diesel tanks, he said they presented their future plans for the business, including this additional space.

The new space will be used primarily for a new kitchen and dining area. Currently, the store offers a limited menu of pizzas and sandwiches, and little will change with regard to the menu, according to Michaud. Customers had a small space to sit and eat — a room with space for about 12 people. However, the new dining area will allow seating for 24 people.

“The back room fills up by about 7 a.m.,” Michaud said. “We just want to service our customers better. It also gives us more floor space in the store. Like right now, we don’t have enough room for slush machines.”

An area of the new space will serve as a set-up for prepared foods, taking them out of their current place on the shelves and counters of the existing store, clearing space for new merchandise. Michaud said he is working with his suppliers to improve the store’s menu, but that it will essentially remain the same type of food.

“We couldn’t do anything with the kitchen we had,” Michaud said.

The new space opens up possibilities for future improvements, he said. Michaud said the addition will eventually allow the business to create more jobs in the community, though he does not anticipate adding a full-service wait staff.

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