2 Best Places to Shop in Schoodic Peninsula, Acadia National Park and Mount Desert Island

Sold at retailers throughout New England and made at the owner's home in Prospect Harbor, these paraben- and sulfate-free all-natural soaps and skin-care products fill two display areas at HarborGirl Emporium, housed in an 1800s barn and stocked with kitchen items, children's toys, stationery goods, holiday decor, and more. Along with about a dozen varieties of avocado oil soap, such as Gardener's with lemon or cranberry, the brand's many offerings include wild blueberry shea butter/jojoba lotion and sea salt scrub and its men's Vagabond line.

Wendilee Heath O’Brien's paintings in watercolor, oil, pastel, Asian ink, and kinpakku (Japanese traditional gold leaf) are sold at her studio gallery, where visitors often catch the artist at work and are welcome to listen in if she's teaching a class. Many works depict Down East landscapes, perhaps with people or children in the scene, but her repertoire includes abstract painting, still life, and portraiture. There are notecards featuring her work (buy 10 and get one free!) and pottery pieces by another artist. A whimsical garden path leads to the year-round gallery aside the painter's home on Winter Harbor’s Main Street.