15 Old Orchard Street, Old Orchard Beach, ME
We’ve all been on that vacation where we bring a beach read, a book for the plane, a paperback thriller for the cabin getaway, and we finish it way too soon with nothing else to keep us entertained. If you’re in an airport, you likely have access to one chain bookshop or another. But if you’re vacationing at Old Orchard Beach in Maine, you’re still covered with Barnett Books right downtown. *Note: I sometimes see this shop listed online as Wholesale Books, too.
Read moreMonument Square, Portland, ME
Portland, Maine is one of my favorite places to go book hunting, and not just because I can grab one of the best milkshakes in the universe at Duck Fat while I do it, but also because there are so many bookstore options available, from those exclusively selling brand new releases to those specializing in secondhand and hard-to-find vintage titles. Longfellow Books has a perfect balance between them, with all the best new bestsellers as well as loads of discounted books, new and old, and plenty of gifts too.
Read more316 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.
Read more49 Exchange St, Portland, ME
Sherman’s Maine Coast Bookshop in Portland is one of a chain of bookstores located in towns and cities throughout the region, and this particular location is in the heart of the city’s Old Port neighborhood, surrounded by coffee shops, amazing restaurants, and trendy boutiques. I already visited other Sherman’s Bookshops and I hoped this one would stand up to the excellent reputation it earned elsewhere. Answer: yes, yes it does, as I discovered on a cool summer morning with a coffee in hand and a mask on my face.
Read more589 Congress St., Portland, ME
While other nearby bookshops were closed on a blustery Tuesday afternoon, Yes Books was there for us when we trudged through the snow and sleet to push through the doors and enter a world or precarious stacks, narrow aisles, and floor-to-ceiling books that kept going and going, a literary pack-rat’s dream shop.
Read more17 Backstreet Landing, Damariscotta, ME
As noted in my review of the other bookshop in Damariscotta, this little town is the picture you form in your mind when you think of coastal Maine quaintness, complete with piers bustling with boats and trawlers, oyster shacks, gift shops, ice cream vendors, pubs, a department store with a lunch counter and soda jerk, and lobsters advertised everywhere you look. And, of course, amazing bookshops. While Sherman’s is the “new” bookshop in town, Skidompha is the other side of the coin, selling used books at fantastic prices.
Read more158 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.
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