158 Main Street, Damariscotta, ME

This bookshop is located on the quaint-yet-bustling commercial strip alongside ice cream shops, a movie house, an oyster shack, a department store with a real soda-jerk counter, and assorted gift emporiums, not to mention one that specializes in ye olde candy and Moxie paraphernalia. But despite the many places one can wander through in town, this bookshop is a robust nexus of culture and commerce in Damariscotta, which is pronounced dama-riscotta, not damara-scotta; a handy pro tip given to me by many a local during my first visit many years ago. And as such a nexus, I cannot recommend it enough.