Bath’s unofficial mayor, Sunshine Larry, charms Loyal Biscuit visitors

A sunny Sunday brought Bath residents to 180 Front Street, where Loyal Biscuit Co. drew a line of visitors hoping to meet Sunshine Larry, the orange cat who has become one of downtown’s most recognizable faces. For a city of 8,817 residents, with 37,582 people in Sagadahoc County, the scene showed how a single small-business mascot can pull people into a storefront and turn a routine stop into a neighborhood ritual.

Gillian Roy said the mayor title is honorary, but it fits Larry because he likes to greet people and help set a welcoming tone inside the Bath shop. The Roy family adopted him after he had lived on the streets, and they later started a Facebook page to keep track of his movements around town. Roy said she now gets near-daily messages from people saying they met Sunny and that he made their day.

That appeal showed up at Larry’s first official meet-and-greet, where residents said they had been looking for him and were glad to finally meet him. Daphne Cromwell was among those who came by, joining other locals who treat Larry’s appearances around town like a familiar sighting rather than a surprise. Bree Candland and Rebecca Tibbitts also described how people watch for him, take photos when he turns up, and talk about seeing him near Library Park, the fire station, Brackett’s, and local restaurants.

At Loyal Biscuit, the setting adds to the draw. Main Street Maine lists the Bath store as part of the city’s year-round historic district, and the pet-supply chain says the shop carries more than 4,000 items in stores, with access to more than 25,000 more by special order. That mix of specialty retail and a well-known cat gives the business a presence that reaches beyond a typical pet store stop.

Bath has long sold itself as the “City of Ships,” home to the Maine Maritime Museum, but Sunshine Larry gives the downtown another kind of identity, one built on repeat visits, shared photos and word-of-mouth. The city’s nine-member council meets at 55 Front Street, just blocks from Loyal Biscuit, and Larry’s popularity is a reminder that downtown commerce in Bath is shaped as much by familiar personalities as by storefronts and schedules.