Drew Desjardins of Mr. Drew and His Animals Too entertains the crowd at the 2021 Oxford County Fair in Oxford. Desjardins said he will soon sign a lease to move the business from Lewiston to the Poland Crossing Plaza on Route 26 in Poland. Nicole Carter/Advertiser Democrat file

LEWISTON — Mr. Drew and His Animals Too will move from Lewiston to Poland, owner Drew Desjardins announced Friday.

All that remains to be done, he said, is signing the lease before all those lizards, snakes, fish, birds and various critters move to the former Family Dollar store at Poland Crossing Plaza on Route 26.

Desjardins learned in mid-April that he would have to move out of his spot at the Lewiston Mall after the new owners of the mall decided that the animal exhibit didn’t fit with their plans.

The exotic animal rescue and public exhibit has been at the Lewiston Mall since 2023 after he was forced out of a location at the Pepperell Mill on Lisbon Street.

On Friday afternoon, Desjardins took to Facebook to announce the latest development.

“We are very happy to announce that Mr. Drew and His Animals Too’s potential new, long term home will Route 26 in beautiful Poland, Maine!” he wrote. “We are awaiting to sign the lease and get the keys and as soon as that happens we will update on all our details regarding our labor intensive move. We found a free standing 10,000 square foot space that will be perfect for our needs with some potential, limited outside use.”

The exotic animal rescue and exhibit will be housed at the Poland Crossing Plaza at 1385 Maine St., Desjardins said.

Desjardins and his wife and crew had been looking at locations for two weeks and had been in discussions with town officials in Poland.

“The Town of Poland has been very gracious with ideas, supportive, helpful and the excitement has been infectious, in this mutual adventure to work as a team to benefit us, the community of Poland and the surrounding areas,” Desjardins wrote. “We will now have a separate space for retail with its own separate entrance, there will now be two party spaces available — one private and one semi private — we will be able to set up our kiln and lapidary machine (in the back room) for use on special events, the new marine touch tank will be up and running when we open, a planting/growing area, we will be able to to host outside movie nights, night time astronomy observation and so much more!

“We are excited,” Desjardins wrote, “to collaborate with the area businesses.”

Athena Brown, 11, holds Sir Giggles, a bearded dragon, April 23 at Mr. Drew and His Animals Too in Lewiston, as her brother, Damian, 7, pets the tail and gives a nervous glance at Autumn Nichols and Walter, a blue-tongued skink. Andree Kehn/Sun Journal file

Desjardins estimated that his new location will mean a 30-minute drive for anyone coming from Lewiston. He also listed estimated drive times from other towns.

A few Mr. Drew fans in the Lewiston area lamented that the exhibit will be moving out of this area, while those in Poland or surrounding towns celebrated the move.

“My kiddos are going to be so pumped you’ll be closer,” a Mechanic Falls woman wrote.