Arson suspected at topless coffee shop

VASSALBORO, Maine, June 4 (UPI) -- Authorities in Vassalboro are trying to determine who set the fire that burned down the Maine town's controversial topless coffee shop.

The Grand View Topless Coffee Shop and adjoining apartments where the owner and his family lived were destroyed early Wednesday, the Morning Sentinel in Waterville reported. Everyone got out safe thanks to a passing ambulance crew that spotted the blaze.

Grand View owner Donald Crabtree says he wants to rebuild his topless java joint even though he didn't have insurance on the property, which he had plowed $277,000 into. He said he's considering reopening in a tent or trailer in the parking lot temporarily.

"I put everything I had into this building and it's pretty much gone." Crabtree said. "This was my business and my home. Usually you lose one or the other, not everything at once. Everything is destroyed; the building's a total loss."

The topless coffee shop rankled some residents of the town of about 4,200 people. The fire, ruled arson by investigators, occurred just hours after Crabtree attended a town planning board meeting.

Next Monday, voters are to decide on an ordinance that would regulate "sexually oriented" businesses. Crabtree's coffee shop would have been grandfathered in unless he made major changes. That had prompted him to scale back his plans to extend its hours, add a disc jockey and expand to include strippers.

Concerned customer Vernon Gaudet of Augusta said he was "stunned" by the fire.

"We're hoping it's not people deeming this place to be the evil spawn of whatever," Gaudet said.