34 Best Places to Shop in The Mid-Coast Region, Maine

This well-established gallery showcases artwork that captures the beauty of Maine, including Dana Heacock's brightly colored giclèe prints, cards, and Abacus calendars. Well-executed, often entertaining home-decor items and delicate or statement pieces of jewelry also make excellent souvenirs of your visit to Boothbay Harbor.

Get ready to immerse yourself in this store whose shelves are brimming with nearly every type of quality kitchen tool imaginable. They've got world-class knives (and a superb service center for them), but also a huge stock of pottery (from handmade items to pieces by Le Creuset), kitchen-wizard tools of every stripe, and condiments from Maine and from far away.

With an emphasis on interior design, this boutique stocks lovely French bed linens, artful personal jewelry, home-decor accents, and specialty soaps and toiletries. There's also a selection of simply irresistible kids' clothing.

Just across the river from Wiscasset, this family-owned pottery operation is renowned for its vibrantly colored, exquisitely glazed porcelain, which is also sold at shops in Portland and York. But it's all made right here—the original location. The store also carries a fine selection of jewelry, glassware, and glass sculptures.

In a restored 1800s farmhouse in the center of town, this gallery showcases exceptional paintings and sculptures from the 19th, 20th, and 21st centuries. The focus is on artists inspired by Maine's beauty, especially those who have painted on Monhegan Island. Among those represented are Rockwell Kent, James Fitzgerald, Andrew Winter, Carroll Thayer Berry, and Charles Woodbury. Contemporary artists include Andrea J. Peters, Kevin Beers, and Henry Isaacs.

Don't miss this charming little store in a old mansard-roofed structure. The upstairs once served as a community dance hall, and the original piano is still on the stage. Kids will delight in the array of "penny candy" as well as fun small toys. There are also kitchen utensils, candles, gifts, pretty cards, and books. At an outdoor window on the side of the building, you can order an ice-cream cone to enjoy on a walk down to the harbor.

This enchanting emporium brims with both vintage and new finds to embellish and enliven the home. There's also a selection of unusual gifts and darling children's items. Everything is thoughtfully chosen and high-quality.

If you'd like to take home a piece of Maine, this is the place to shop. Everything in this large store was created by the state's finest artisans and artists. There's lots of jewelry, plus clothing, home decor, art, kids' items, and much more.

An independent, community-minded bookstore, Mockingbird is a great place to browse, discover new books, and settle into a wing chair or sofa to read for a bit. There's a good selection of works by Maine authors, and book signings are often held for new releases.

It's hard to know where to look first when you enter this store filled with appealing and clever home-decor accents. Shop for colorful and artistic pottery, tableware, candles, holiday ornaments, decorative birdhouses, textiles, jewelry, and and some packaged foodstuffs. It's also an excellent place to find thoughtful gifts.

Renys is a beloved Maine institution—or, as their slogan says, "a Maine adventure." It has 17 locations throughout the state, and a visit to Maine truly isn't complete without browsing the endless bargains at at least one of them. Damariscotta is where it all started seven decades ago, and the original store—a quaintly crowded clothing store at  116 Main St.—is still going strong. Stop in there for bargains on Columbia, Carhartt, and other brands. Then cross the street and browse the larger outlet at  163 Main St. for great deals on housewares, nonperishable food items, seasonal goods, toys, and much more. You'll be amazed at what you find. And don't miss Waltz Soda Fountain, open during the summer at the left side of the building. It's been there since 1948. Order a malted, egg cream, lime rickey, or Moxie ice cream float at the counter, and slide into a booth to enjoy your sweet trip down memory lane.

Accomplished artist Sarah Richards specializes in horses and other animal subjects, capturing them in flowing swaths of color. In addition to original paintings and prints, Richards' gallery sells drinkware and clothing bearing some of her most popular images. Also there are lovely watercolors by her late mother, the talented floral artist Lyn Snow.

You can peek into the workshop next door to see potters create this shop's beautiful plates, vases, and other vessels—often decorated with lighthouses, pine trees, lupine, chickadees, or other Maine-centric illustrations. The merchandise also includes home accessories, jewelry, and other items made by local artisans. There's a second shop in downtown Damariscotta.

This fine-art gallery specializes in American and European paintings—often featuring Monhegan Island seascapes and landscapes—from the 18th, 19th, and 20th centuries. Featured artists include Rockwell Kent, William Zorach, and Abraham Bogdanove. Also on display are the brightly hued paintings by gallery owner Keith Oemig, whose work is included in the collection of the Portland Museum of Art.

The selection of strikingly glazed ceramics, including oyster-shape dishes, for sale here are handmade on-site by artist and owner Alison Evans. You can also shop for home goods, local art, and cashmere clothing.

This visually pleasing shop stocks an array of treasures for the home and garden. There's a selection of personal accessories, toiletries, and children's books, too.

If you're an Anglophile or a Brit missing Merrie Old England, this is the shop for you. Among the many shelves of imported goods are proper teapots, lots of English teas, Branston pickle and other condiments, Lyle's golden syrup, biscuits, sweets, and preserves. You'll also find tartan scarves, knitted sweaters, tweed caps, single-malt glasses, pint glasses, jewelry, and calendars. 

For 60-plus years, this independent shop has been designing, selling, and servicing gorgeous and custom (or one-of-a-kind) baubles. Drop in and be dazzled by their Signature Collection, or just consider your next big sparkler while the adept staff breezes you through their other gifts and engravables.

Head to this gallery for fine pieces created by talented Mainers. It represents more than 75 of the state's artists and craftspeople, and its offerings include pottery, jewelry, glassware, artwork, and handmade chocolates.

This exceptional shop specializes in lovely, locally made wares, including jewelry, unusual gifts, and baby items. Just up the street, its sister store, Hatch Home, features new and antique accents for the home as well as a wide color selection of Chalk Paint by Annie Sloan.

There's something charmingly old-school about this pretty boutique, with its warm and friendly service and fine displays of women's clothing, accessories, and beauty products. Geared toward elegant but no-fuss women of every age, the shop stocks clothing items such as fine cashmere shawls; pretty but not froufrou lingerie; and sophisticated loungewear as well as a good selection of natural beauty products and fragrances, unique jewelry, and inspiring books.

Before crossing the cribstone bridge to Bailey Island, stop at this sweet little cottage—complete with a picket-fenced flower garden—for some old-fashioned confections. The brittle, bark, buttercreams, truffles, dipped candied fruit, and fudge that fill the glass cases are all made in the candy kitchen just behind the counter. There's ice cream, too!

Pop into the Maine State Prison Showroom for handcrafted wooden items ranging from beautiful cutting boards to furniture offered at very modest prices. Since 1824, prison inmates participating in the skills-building industries program have created wooden goods to be sold to the public; the proceeds fund the program. The store contains hundreds of items. Some, like ship models, have a nautical theme. Other items include toys, bowls, jewelry boxes, birdhouses, bureaus, and tables. They also sell metal firepits.

To complement its interior design services, Maine Street Design fills a storefront with carefully selected decor accents, lamps, tableware, and furniture. Much of the merchandise is Maine-made. There are also cookbooks and condiments.

This emporium is a jackpot for anyone who enjoys spending time in the kitchen. Chances are you'll find any utensil, pot, gadget, or machine might need—as well as some things you didn't know you needed. There's a good selection of cookbooks, plus spices and condiments, and wines and craft beers, too.

This welcoming boutique specializes in beautiful lingerie, shapewear, and loungewear—and in helping you find the best size and fit. Locally made CBD products are also available.

This sweet shop sells lovely babies' and children's clothing, accessories, and toys. The quality of the unique selection is high, so don't expect bargain-store prices. 

After suffering a devastating fire in September 2023, the General Store has reopened, albeit on a smaller scale, while they rebuild. Look for the green clapboard building with red trim a few steps to the right of the ferry landing. This is an old-time, honest-to-goodness general store, with wide-plank floors and an inventory that offers a little bit of everything: groceries, pastries, candy, wines, liquor—even live lobsters. Outside, a sign touts the "Native Ice" for sale. 

This shop specializes in jewelry featuring brightly colored tourmaline and other gemstones mined in Maine. Most of the pieces are the work of Maine designers. Watermelon tourmaline—part pink, part green—is a specialty.

Decidedly contemporary, with a Scandinavian bent, this well-curated boutique stocks offbeat cards and letterpress stationery, locally handcrafted goods, jewelry, and one-of-a-kind objects for the home.