The World’s Smallest Bookstore Is Hiding Down a Maine Backroad
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Nothing about Pushcart Press is big aside from its personality, and that’s where we start the story of the World’s Smallest Bookstore in Sedgwick, Maine. The owner calls it “a little store in the woods,” and it echoes his writing vibe that has shaped authors and the industry since the 1970s.
In a state that’s better known for the literary likes of Stephen King, it’s important to also honor the other writers who’ve been inspired across Maine. You won’t stumble upon the World’s Smallest Bookstore unless you’re (REALLY) lost, but it’s worth checking out on your next trip Downeast.
Where Is the World’s Smallest Bookstore in Maine?
Buckle up for the backroads of Maine, because this trip is a little off the beaten path. The address of Pushcart Press (aka, The World’s Smallest Bookstore) is 380 Christy Hill in Sedgwick, Maine.
From Orland or Ellsworth, head south on the Blue Hill Peninsula. Whether you’re approaching from Route 15 or Route 172, you’ll turn on Old Country Road. Then take a turn on Cherry Hill Road, and the small shed sits about 500 feet down, tucked a bit back into the woods.
How Small Is the World’s Smallest Bookstore?
Bill Henderson, founder of Pushcart Press and the bookstore, admits he’s taking creative liberties by calling it the World’s Smallest Bookstore. But the 96 square foot shack, spanning just eight feet wide and 12 feet long, certainly gives other small bookstores a run for the record. Even the Tiny Bookshop in Rockport is larger at 120 square feet.
History of Pushcart Press & the World’s Smallest Bookstore
The evolution of how the World’s Smallest Bookstore ended up on a Maine peninsula is fueled by, of all things, anger. But it didn’t start out that way.
Pushcart Press Origins
Bill Henderson, like many writers, had dreams of being a best-selling author. He tried working in the industry, but “was tired of the publishing industry turning writers into dollar signs.”
Henderson told the East Hampton Star in 2022, “When you do good work and the world ignores you — and I’ve never, ever forgotten that — when the money people take over the commercial publishers, a lot of people are crushed. I was crushed.”
He took that frustration, anger, and debut novel, The Kid that Could, and self-published. While the book only sold about 500 copies, it fueled an idea that would be channeled into Pushcart Press. He set up in a small Yonkers, New York, studio apartment back in 1972.
“Well that was easy enough,” we can imagine Henderson saying, so he wrote The Publish It Yourself Handbook in 1973. Sales soared to 75,000, and aspiring writers just trying to find a place in a packed literary world found hope.
The Pushcart Prize Is Born
More hope was delivered in 1976, when the first edition of the Pushcart Prize came out. The now annual publication highlights lesser-known writers and small press companies. Inside, readers will find a collection of stories, essays, and poems.
“The idea is to give them (the writers and small press operations) a voice and pride and a vision,” Henderson said. “The Pushcart Prize has been a labor of love and independent spirits since its founding. It is one of the last surviving literary co-ops from the 60’s and 70’s.”
The World’s Smallest Bookstore
While Pushcart Press was HQ’d in New York, Henderson and his wife summered in Maine. About 20 years ago, he opened the World’s Smallest Bookstore behind an antique store. When that store went out of business, he decided to build yet again, creating a cabin in the woods on Cherry Hill Road.
If you find that story inspiring, you should check out his book Cathedral: An Illness and a Healing about building a cathedral with his bare hands on his Brooklin, Maine, property while battling cancer and other life challenges.
Visiting the World’s Smallest Bookstore
If you’re planning a trip to Pushcart Press in Segwick, Maine, there are a few things you should know about the World’s Smallest Bookstore.
The hours are generally 10am to 6pm. If Henderson isn’t there, don’t worry, the entire store is run on the honor system. Bring cash or a check and look for the tin can to pay for your selections. Neighbors pick up profits daily.
Many of the books stacked floor to ceiling are from Pushcart Press, meaning you won’t find many repeats of the big box bookstores here. Used books also fill some shelves.
“The point was to put a little pin prick in the Barnes and Nobles of the world and the current craze which continues for bigness and everything big, big, big, big, but we think small is beautiful,” Henderson told a Maine television station in 2024.
What Else Is Near Pushcart Press Bookstore?
If you’ve come as far as Sedgwick, you should stick around and explore the rest of the Blue Hill Peninsula. One of Maine’s icons sits in the field adjacent to the World’s Smallest Bookstore, as it is a wild blueberry field that bears fruit in the summer and turns a fiery shade of red during fall.
Another literary legend, E.B. White, is buried at the Brooklin Cemetery. The author, famous for books like Stuart Little and Charlotte’s Web, once lived at a farm at 511 Bay Road. It’s a private residence now, but you can see the home from the public road. If you spot the barn, you should know that’s where the inspiration for Charlotte’s Web came from in 1949.
Other notable cities to explore on the peninsula include:
- Castine: “Under the Elms and by the Sea,” it’s a postcard-perfect harbor town packed with colonial history and maritime museums.
- Deer Isle/Stonington: Working waterfronts, granite quarries, lobster boats everywhere, and some of the best ocean views in Down East Maine, all without the cruise-ship crowds.
- Isle au Haut: Take the ferry ride from Stonington to this lesser-known section of Acadia National Park and one of the smallest post offices you’ll ever see.
- Holbrook Island Sanctuary: A peaceful nature preserve with easy trails, salt marshes, and tidal shoreline that make it perfect for birdwatching, tidepool wandering, and unplugging for a few hours.
And if you’re really up for an adventure, the Micmac burial grounds from the Pet Sematary (1989) movie are a stop on one of the hills off Snow’s Cove Road.
Outdoor lovers should look up the trails of the Blue Hill Heritage Trust, a series of land trusts that offer wild access to incredible land, without the crowds you’ll find on nearby Mount Desert Island. If you’re into peak bagging, Blue Hill Mountain is the highest point on the peninsula.
The Small Bookstore with a Big Heart
Now that you know the big story behind the World’s Smallest Bookstore, you know that it’s so much more than a roadside attraction. It’s the heart and soul of dreams for writers like me, who just want to make a difference in a busy world. And its story is still being written, one determined writer at a time, all thanks to Bill Henderson’s dogged determination.