Fire Destroys Maine’s Topless Coffee Shop

A topless coffee shop in Vassalboro, Maine has been gutted by fire.

The blaze was reported at about 1 a.m. Wednesday at the Grand View Topless Coffee Shop in Vassalboro, just north of Augusta. Owner Donald Crabtree says he lost his home and business in the fire, and that he had no insurance.

The state fire marshal’s office is trying to determine the cause.

The shop featured topless waitresses and waiters serving coffee and doughnuts. The fire happened only hours after Crabtree met with town planners to discuss making it more like a strip club, with longer hours and dancing.

The shop raised the ire of dozens of residents when it initially went before the town planning board. Someone recently called police to complain that a waitress was outside the business without a shirt on.