From the Allagash Swamp Devil hanging on the wall to the coyote hat worn by owner Robert Berg, there’s a sense of fun at Bear’s One Stop in Newport, Maine.

Berg drove past the store for 20 years while he operated a t-shirt business. He told himself that if the store ever came for sale, he would buy it. The convenience store went up for sale in 2016 at a good price, Berg said, and he offered the full asking price. Later, “I worried about some title issues and got cold feet and wanted to back out.” As a result, he ended up getting it for 25% less than listed.

“I have some fun. I make a little money. I keep it casual. I keep it loose. It’s a relaxed atmosphere. I do it with customers, vendors and employees. Our employees have fun,” he said.

Berg feels that creativity in the kitchen is important. “Every once in a while, the cooks might have a failure. But we don’t get many complaints. We actually get plenty of requests. Our customers will let us know one way or the other what they want and like,” he said.

Berg said that he doesn’t believe there’s a limit to what a good cook can do with pizza. And he shows it in his menu.

For one specialty pizza, fresh fiddleheads are a topping. A Maine favorite, these ferns are harvested in March and April. “People will ask if the fiddleheads are up. … Mainer folks really love them,” said Berg.

Another regional favorite is the Red Maine Hot Dog Pizza. In Maine, bright red hot dogs are a local favorite and have been around for over 160 years. “I thought they needed to be on a pizza,” Berg said.

“We take a traditional red hot dog and put eight of them on a pizza. Depending on the cook, we either lay them out whole or chop them up,” he explained. “We add cheese and onions.”

“We used to do a 'Big Mac' Pizza, and some people gave us grief,” Berg said. “So now I call it an Almost Big Mac Pizza.” The pizza is made with hamburger meat, onion, lettuce, tomato and thousand island dressing. 

Continue reading about Bear’s One Stop’s menu in “Maine C-Store Excels With Fun Foods and Local Favorites,” in the April 2025 issue of NACS Magazine.