316 Main Street, Rockland, ME
Since some dear friends moved to Maine a decade ago, I’ve had the great pleasure going to visit them and exploring the coastal towns and villages, especially the Boothbay, Damariscotta, and Rockland areas, and this shop might be the real gem of this entire stretch. Right in the heart of Rockland and paired with a coffee shop, this bookstore is vibrant, thoughtful, beautifully curated, and full of wonderful discoveries.
The main entrance to the bookshop itself was down along the side of the building on Orient Street, with a coffee shop/cafe taking up the space in front along Main. The thing that struck me first upon walking in was the infusion of style, art, and decorative pops of color everywhere you turn. From the large scenic placards indicating each shelf’s genre and section to the lively tablecloth on each display table, adding so much more to the experience of browsing and flipping through a vast array of new and classic titles.
Of course there are plenty of brand new fiction and nonfiction titles, piles and stacks of them, but the shop also has at least one full shelf (and sometimes a full display table) for such categories as maritime, Maine-centric, travel, mystery, YA, pop culture, memoir/bio, art, poetry, poetry zines and literary mags, social justice, LGBTQ+, children’s, one for sci-fi/fantasy/horror all together, and so much more. I found an incredible and hilarious illustrated book called The Field Guide to Dumb Birds of the Whole Stupid World that I hadn’t seen anywhere else (I should have bought it! Why didn’t I buy it!?), along with plenty of other bright, new editions of classics and forward-thinking books about our modern culture that looked right off the press, just dazzling in their breadth and wonder for all this world encompasses.
Among the many shelves and tables were gifts and trinkets of all kinds, stickers and patches, bags and candles, cards and gift booklets, pencils and snacks, and all kinds of merch. I also very much appreciated how there were used titles throughout the shop and on a special cart, all discounted. I like this because not everyone can afford brand spankin’ new books but can enjoy the experience of buying from a shop when you have deals like this mixed in. It’s inclusive and easy on the wallet!
All in all, this is the kind of shop you hope to find when visiting a new town, and the kind of shop you wish your own neighborhood had back home. If you’re driving the coast of Maine, make a point to find and explore Hello Hello!
Atmosphere — Loud, proud, and chock full of new titles, old classics, used gems, and gifts galore. It’s a vibrant and welcoming shop with artistic touches everywhere you turn.
Quality — The books and gifts are top notch, and even the used titles are solid, with only a few that had been read a handful of times.
Quantity — They have a load of books packed into what is basically one room, but all the displays and decorations make the space feel bigger.
Diversity — This shop covers a lot of ground, with a full shelf for the most common categories and genres, and space for unique regional offerings like books on Maine and maritime titles.
Affordability — The books were all very fairly priced and the used titles were discounted.
Amenities — It’s in an area of town with plenty of restaurants, and there’s a coffee shop right up front if you want to hang out before or after.
Location — On Main Street in the center of downtown Rockland, close to the coastal parks and eateries.
Customer Service — The clerk at the desk was friendly and efficient!
Overall — This shop is wonderful, from the artistic flair everywhere you look to the variety of literary offerings, Hello Hello is a gem of a bookstore well worth going out of your way to visit
