The Marston House in Wiscasset is, at least to some locals, a well-kept secret. It's one of those gems that we take for granted because it's been there “forever” and we know it's not going anywhere, so we put off going.

If you're one of those locals, you should go and check it out. Now. The house and carriage house will still be there, probably for a long time, but the owners, Sharon and Paul Mrozinski, and the beautiful antique textiles and French furnishings won't be.

After 29 years of living in the house, and running an antiques and bed and breakfast business in the carriage house, the couple is moving on. They have been in Wiscasset since 1987, when they packed up a load of antiques and four kids in California and moved to Wiscasset.

Before the Mrozinskis bought the Marston House, it had been in the Marston family since 1851. The Mrozinskis are only the fourth owners of the house that was built in 1785 by a sea captain who was lost at sea, Capt. Erskine.

When they bought the house, it was in need of a lot of love. They arrived in May and started renovating. They set their sights on opening their antique shop for the July 4 holiday, when the antique season begins in Maine.

Their work was cut out for them.

“When we moved in, the radiators had exploded out in the front rooms of the house because they hadn't been drained properly,” Paul said.

The back part of the house was added on in the mid-19th century, and they soon learned that the foundation beneath it wasn't up to par. That part of the house was pulling away from the front. As an architect, Paul knew a little about how to fix it, but they had to live in the house, in some degree of disarray, with four children and four carpenters and plumbers for the next year and a half while structural repairs were underway.

Still determined to open by July 4, they knew that at least the front of the house should look presentable. They hired a friend's daughter, Erika Soule, now the owner of Rock, Paper, Scissors, and four of her friends, to paint the facade. They renovated the front porch and moved the stairs from the side to the center and hung a sign.

And of course they'd need inventory. Their antique shop in California had been sold, along with everything in it, so during that first two months, when they weren't renovating, or cooking meals for six on a grill because the kitchen was in disrepair, they were out scouring antique stores.

July 4 arrived, and it was a success. “It was an amazing day,” Sharon said.

The first few years here weren't easy for the family. After that first summer, the realization of a winter in Maine started dawning on them. They were used to southern California winters. “Winter hit, and people were asking us when we were going back to California,” Sharon said. “They knew there was no business here in the winter. We didn't.”

They realized they'd have to start marketing themselves outside this area. So they'd pack up a pickup truck and a trailer, and the kids and dogs, and hit the road, doing antique shows. They went to New York, Connecticut, Baltimore, Nashville — basically wherever there was an antique show.

“It was really hard,” Paul said. “We'd leave with a trailer full of antiques, and we never knew whether we’d come back with the same trailer full of stuff, or come back with some money and some of the stuff. It was all a gamble. Nothing said, 'You're going to succeed.' Everything was a risk.”

To keep the family afloat, Paul went to work for an architectural firm in Portland for five years.

The Mrozinskis said the main reason they moved to this area from California was because they wanted to be part of a community. “We wanted to know our neighbors,” Paul said. “And now here I was driving to Portland and Sharon was traveling to antique shows. We weren't part of the community at all. Our hair was on fire.”

In 1993, the couple bought Treats, across Route One, when it was just the small space on the corner that is now the wine and cheese section of the shop. They eventually added the space next door, and did renovations over the next 14 years.

“Owning Treats allowed us to be a part of the community again,” Sharon said.

The Mrozinskis spend their winters in southern France from October to April. Their home is in the 12th century hilltop village of Bonnieux, and they own apartments close to Marseille and Avignon.

There have been several articles about the Mrozinskis and the Marston House in an array of prestigious publications, including Martha Stewart Living, the Boston Globe, Country Home, and The Guardian, among others. See the full list with links to stories here.

The Mrozinskis will be putting the Marston House on the market soon. They said it’s simply time to move on.

“This house is not just a residence, it’s not just a business, it’s a destination point,” Paul said. “We’ve met wonderful people over the years. The days of traveling to shows allowed us to make connections with a lot of people.”

“We’ve had a great run,” Sharon said.

The couple doesn’t have a solid plan yet, but they’ll be spending time in France. “But we’ll come back to see the kids and grandchildren,” Sharon said. “We have a foothold here.”

The Marston House will host a brocante, a French marketplace with  antique fabrics from the 18^th century, and cottage furnishings, on the front porch and on the common in front of the house during the July 28 Wiscasset Art Walk.

Wiscasset resident and owner of Carriage House Gardens Lucia Droby said the Mrozinskis will be missed. “Wiscasset will miss Sharon and Paul and so will I! They represent the best of what Wiscasset Village has to offer: they are gracious and welcoming, they offer a unique experience in their shop, they are knowledgeable and traveled, and they are good Village neighbors. The sidewalk experience, when you stroll by Marston House, is a bouquet of bloom, baskets, and other delights. And then there's their personal style . . . I can hardly imagine the Village without them!”