Your Guide to Shopping in Maine
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Maine has some of the best shopping in New England, featuring the most unique products. From homemade Maine crafts, jewelry, and antiques, to legendary outdoor gear, designer bargains and handmade food items, you will find it all.
Part of the fun of shopping in Maine is searching out bargains at discount stores like Reny’s and Marden’s, LL Bean, or factory outlets, then browsing quaint craft boutiques in coastal villages.
Whatever your preference, scoring designer brand name clothes and handbags, or handmade Sea Bags made of sailcloth, or discovering artisan pottery, jewelry and local craft fairs, there is something for every serious shopper.
From the Kittery Outlets to Freeport Outlets, Bar Harbor to Portland, Maine has the shopping to meet your needs and more importantly, your wishes. Kittery and Freeport both offer entire streets lined with outlets of brand name shops including Nike, Ralph Lauren, Gap, J. Crew, New Balance, and many more. For kids there is Carters, Aeropostale, Gymboree, Old Navy, and more.
Mikasa, Villeroy & Boch, Brookstone and Yankee Candle all have home good shops in Maine outlet towns as well.
One of the most popular shops in Kittery is the Kittery Trading Post, specializing in outdoor adventure clothing, ski, beach and hunting equipment. And a trip to Freeport is not complete without a visit to L.L.Bean, the ultimate outdoor clothier, made famous by their Bean Boots. LL Bean was started in 1912 by Leon Leonwood Bean. The Beaner is open 24/7/365. For all your hunting, fishing, and camping needs, Maine now has a huge Cabela’s store in Scarborough as well.
Most towns in Maine are filled with boutiques and art galleries, jewelry and craft shops. From Ogunquit to Kennebunk, Boothbay Harbor to Bar Harbor, you’ll find an array of specialty shops. Wells is the antique capital for collectors of antiques furniture, books and treasures. Crafters and jewelers find their inspiration in Maine, and shoppers will find their handmade jewelry, candles and art in galleries and shops throughout the state. Perkins Cove in Ogunquit has beautiful gold and silver jewelry designs with sea motifs.
If you like a city shopping atmosphere, Portland and the historic Old Port offer a nice combination of modern fashion stores and unique boutiques. Old Port offers cobblestone streets lined with specialty food and wine shops, kitchen accessory stores, fashion boutiques and gourmet pet supply stores. Nearby, visitors can check out the Maine Mall in South Portland featuring brand name stores as well as Maine-made items.
Dock Square in Kennebunkport, as well as the towns of Camden and Bar Harbor, have wonderful boutique stores offering Maine themed t-shirts and apparel, locally made maple syrup, salt water taffy and everything imaginable with lobsters, loons or moose for the perfect keepsake to remind you of your Maine vacation.
Maine is also well known for its candles, blueberries, microwbrews, and maple sugar candy, so be sure to take a Maine specialty home. Maine is also famous for its tourmaline mines, and this beautiful gem is available at most Maine jewelry stores. Seaglass is another maine treasure, often used in jewelry and home decor. A trip to Maine salvage stores Reny’s and Mardens are a Maine shopping adventure – don’t get caught saying “I should have bought it when I saw it at Marden’s” since the inventory changes daily.
And always remember that sage ol’ shopping motto: the more you spend, the more you save.