Stories about restaurants opening and closing in the small town of Boothbay Harbor always generate a lot of interest and curiosity. Lots of old ones have closed and new ones opened over the years.

But few have elicited the excitement that the recent news about the Thistle has.

When owner Max Ross closed the doors to the restaurant abruptly around a month ago, it came as an unhappy surprise to both the locals and the people from away who had grown to love the eatery that had been in business since the early 1960s.

Now Anya Heyl and her partner Dick Reid have signed a lease to operate the restaurant, with an option to buy the building. They will open the doors again in just a few weeks. For now, Ross will continue to run the inn and serve breakfast to guests.

When Heyl broke the news on her Facebook page, the likes and comments — most ending in at least one “!” — started coming in fast and furious. Three days later, the post had accumulated 339 likes and 104 positive comments.

Judging by those, the decision to reopen and breathe new life into one of the oldest and most beloved of all the restaurants in the harbor was a good one. And, according to Heyl and Reid, it wasn't really a difficult one to make.

“I had gone into the chamber of commerce for something, and the ladies in there said, 'You guys should open the Thistle,'” Reid said. “I said 'Well maybe we will.'”

“It was sort of off the cuff,” Heyl said. “We heard about the restaurant being closed, and Dick texted Max and said, 'What's your number (on a price)?'”

After talking with Ross, Reid said he called Heyl and asked her what she thought. “She said 'Well, we'd be crazy not to.'”

Both Heyl and Reid have worked at the Thistle over the years. Reid waited tables. Heyl did that, too — along with a myriad of other duties. She had a hand in pretty much every aspect of the business over the years.

“I started working here when I was 22,” she said. “Liz Evans (of East Boothbay General Store) and I cooked Sunday brunch here together. I also cooked lunches and dinners, and desserts and salads.”

Heyl was also the innkeeper at one time, and lived in an apartment there. “I checked people in, cleaned all the rooms, and got up every morning and cooked breakfast for the guests,” she said. “And since I was there anyway, I tended bar and waitressed too.”

Four former Thistle chefs have gone on to open their own successful businesses, and Heyl has worked with each of them. Mike Whitney owns Family Thyme Catering and Culinary Events. Tony Bickford is the owner and chef of Little Village Bistro in Wiscasset. Fiona Dunlap is chef and owner of Harborside Tavern and Ian Ronan is chef and owner of Waves, both in Boothbay Harbor.

Whitney will be coming in as a consultant and temporary chef to help get the kitchen shipshape. “Mike is one of the best of the best, and he's constantly evolving,” Reid said. “I call him 'the godfather of the new era of chefs' because he has trained a lot of the chefs in the area. He's very good at what he does, and also good at passing along his skills to others.”

Heyl will have a hand in the kitchen, too. Though not a certified chef, she knows and loves good food, and will be a major player in the menu planning. “I love to cook, and have a lot of experience,” she said. “Making good food comes down to care and energy and love, and the little extra steps in the preparation that make the dish fantastic.”

The winter menu will be similar to what it was previously. There will be a happy hour every day with half-priced drinks from 5 to 6 p.m., and $5 appetizers. The wine list, which was created by Ross, will remain the same. “That's his area of expertise,” Heyl said. “We want the Thistle to be the wine destination of Boothbay Harbor.”

Reid said there are a few surprises in the works, but they won't be revealed until they're set in stone; but there will be a lot of recognizable faces there, he said.

One “secret” the couple did reveal is their plan for a “Tall Tales” night. More about that will be revealed as the time approaches. “We're trying to decide who to get together to make 'Tall Tales of the Thistle' happen,” Reid said. “There's so much history here and so many great stories to be told.”

People around town are asking if they’re crazy. Between Heyl working another full-time job and caring for their 3-month-old baby, Richie, and Heyl’s 11-year-old son, CJ, at home, their hands were already pretty full.

“The answer is yes, we're a little crazy,” Reid said. “But when we started looking into this — what this place has meant to the community for as long as it's been in the community — I think we’d have been crazier not to do it.

“It may not be the ideal time for us, but it's the right time. It wouldn’t have presented itself if it wasn’t. The opportunity was there, and sometimes you just have to jump off a cliff.”

“I've cleaned every inch of this building,” Heyl said. “It's in my bones. This is a special place for me, and I don't think there's another location in Boothbay Harbor that would have made me do something as crazy as having a new baby, working a full-time job, and opening a new business.”

Ross has owned the inn and restaurant for 10 years. “I think it's great to have new energy, a new vision and a new set of eyes to take over, because the place is so special. And they're going to do a great job,” he said.

In a Facebook post, Heyl had this to say about their decision to take over the Thistle:

“I lost count of how many times I got goosebumps yesterday while working in The Thistle. So many happy memories made, friendships formed, and delicious meals shared. I'm proud to have worked with a group of amazing chefs over the years — Michael L. Whitney, Fiona Dunlap, Tony Bickford, Blair Snyder, Elizabeth Evans (remember cooking Sunday Brunch Liz?) — and hope that the new family we're building at The Thistle lives up to the lineage of fine food and delicious wine that you laid down before us. Looking forward to making new friends and memories with you all while showing our old girl, The Thistle, some TLC.”

“I love this place,” Heyl said. “Everybody loves this place. It means something to people in this community. The Thistle will be in good, loving hands, which is all that really matters.”

The restaurant will be open Tuesday through Saturday through the winter, beginning shortly after Columbus Day.