Grand View Topless Coffee Shop Up in Flames

Grand View Coffee shop, a topless coffee shop in Vasselboro Maine went up in flames today. The fire started around 1am and at the time of this writing fire crews were still at the scene, and no cause had been determined. No one was injured.

Grand View Coffee Shop has been no stranger to the local news since February. First it was the initial proposal for a topless coffee shop that set rural Maine on its ears. Now owner Donald Crabtree wants to allow his waitresses to dance. Donald Crabtree met with the Vasselboro planning board and proposed extending his hours and allowing his waitresses to dance to music. But Grand View will still be a coffee shop. In effect Donald Crabtree wants to create two businesses out of one, a coffee shop by day, and a strip club at night.

Grand View's current hours are from 6am to 6pm. Waitresses are not allowed outside without their tops, and customers are not allowed to bring cameras inside. The hours are proposed to be extended to 1 am, with no alcohol involved at all, just waitresses dancing around the booths. Donald Crabtree had met with the planning board earlier Tuesday, before the fire broke out.

Vasselboro is a small town, located on Route 3 in Kennebec County Maine. Many people pass through there daily without knowing its there, unless they happen to see the tiny town sign, as they head to points along the coast. Grand View is located on Route 3, where once a motel and restaurant stood. Since Grand View opened, residents from Vasselboro and surrounding towns have been talking about what it means for rural Maine. This isn't Portland, a city often referred to as 'Little Boston', and many towns have no defense against businesses of a provocative nature.

Grand View itself was rather tastefully done, both inside and out. With darkened windows, tasteful décor, and strict rules, Grand View doesn't throw itself in the face of the community. Though there have been an instance or two of a waitress being outside without her top on, it has been kept to a minimum and was not intentional. One can almost ignore the fact that Grand View's wait staff are topless.

Grand View Topless Coffee Shop sustained heavy damage during the fire, and was nearly destroyed. According to the Kennebec Journal, Donald Crabtree does not have insurance on the building, and lives on the property.