161 Best Places to Shop in Maine, USA

This full-service florist offers a wonderful array of gourmet foods, local charcuterie, chocolates, wines, craft beers, high-quality olive oils, and cheeses. There's a small deck where you can enjoy harbor views.

On exhibit here are oil and watercolor paintings, hand-color engravings, and woodcut birds and flowers.

This shop is known for its good service, author readings, and excellent selection of new and used books and magazines. Even if you go in looking for something specific, you'll almost certainly stumble on something even better you didn't know about before.

Maine Art Hill's centerpiece is a two-story gallery showcasing works by artists from Maine and elsewhere in New England. There's also a sculpture garden, complete with copper wind designs and whirligigs. Just steps behind are the Studios, a cluster of cottages, each housing the work of a different artist, photographer, or creator.

This is a wonderful place to find meaningful souvenirs of Maine. Made by dozens of Maine artisans, the finely hand-crafted pieces include jewelry, pottery, paintings, fine photography, clothing, skincare products, preserves, and household items.

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 fire pits.

It's well worth a stop here to spend part of an afternoon (it's not open in the morning) browsing items made by local photographers, seamstresses, fiber artists, and potters.

Inspired by chandleries, a sort of general store often found in seaside towns, the shop was born out of the owner's hobby of fancy marlinespike (marine) rope work. The shop is filled with a variety of marine artifacts, antiques, and other interesting items like beach stone and seaglass necklaces, rope and fiber boat fenders, and ditty bags (a canvas bag with marlinespike handles).

This elegant emporium sells clothing (for ladies and babies), hats, jewelry, yarn, and gifts (as well as lovely papers to wrap them in).

The merchandise in this shop includes throw pillows and blankets, doormats, candles, pot holders, bath and body products, sweatshirts, T-shirts, baby onesies, hats, and bags. All of the items are sassy and equitably sourced. Take a break from shopping with a craft cocktail at The Brick Block, an adjacent bar.

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 family-owned and operated store brings Southwest Indian jewelry to Maine. They sell sterling silver jewelry in Navajo, Zuni and Hopi designs, as well as a variety of handmade crafts. 

Jams and jellies are made right on the property at Nervous Nellie's. There is a tearoom with homemade goodies, and also a fanciful sculpture garden with everything from knights to witches to a lobster and a flamingo. They are the works of sculptor Peter Beerits, who operates Nervous Nellie's with his wife.

It's hard to know where to look first when you enter this store filled with appealing home-decor accents. Shop for colorful pottery, tableware, candles, holiday ornaments, decorative birdhouses, textiles, and some packaged foodstuffs.

This emporium is a candy store 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 artist-owned and -operated studio and gallery features unique wheel-thrown stoneware. Stop in for keepsake souvenirs; just call ahead to make sure the studio is open during the off-season.

Tucked toward the back of the first floor of the Thorndike Building, this little shop brims over with delightful, one-of-a-kind home and garden decor. Many of the items are assemblages of upcycled vintage elements, put together by creative shop owner David Robichaud. His partner is Ollie, his English springer spaniel, who's usually in the shop on Saturday.

Fermentation is the name of the entire game at this quirky and Onggi (pronounced “Ong-gee”), named after the Korean vessels in which fermentations like soy sauce, kimchi, and rice wine are made. Owned by a young trio of self-titled “fermentation nerds,” the friendly shop peddles an array of fantastic—and mostly small-batch—products: the likes of Taiwanese soy pastes; preserved Moroccan Meyer lemon paste; ponzu sauces with yuzu; and mushroom ale vinegars. 

The toys in this trim, tidy shop are artfully arranged in colorful displays. There's something here for everyone, regardless of their age.

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.

Grandmothers take note! This sweet shop sells lovely babies' and children's clothing, accessories, and toys. The quality is high, so don't expect bargain-store prices. 

With lots of great toys, plus books, games, and stuffed animals, this is the place for families, kids, people who wish they were kids, and grandparents. The quality of the products is well above average.

Since 1968, Port Canvas has been hand-crafting sporty, customizable canvas totes and duffels perfect for lugging your souvenirs home. Other products range from raincoats to keychains. Each stitcher puts their initials inside the bag ensuring authenticity and quality. 

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, fresh pastries, candy, wines, liquor—even live lobsters. A great contraption makes fresh-squeezed OJ before your eyes. Outside, a sign touts the "Native Ice" for sale. The breakfast and lunch bar serves egg dishes, pancakes, sandwiches, pizzas, and smoothies. Hop on a stool, eat at a picnic table on the dock, or take your food with you. Above the store is a gallery dedicated to the art of three generations of the Wyeth family, which has long, deep connections to this area. Although you won't find any original paintings by N.C., Andrew, or Jamie here, there is a fine selection of prints, including some limited editions, and books for sale.

A fixer-upper's dream, Portland Architectural Salvage has four floors of unusual finds from old buildings, including fixtures, hardware, and stained-glass windows, as well as assorted antiques.

Head to the city's Bayside neighborhood for the Portland Flea-for-All, where you'll find all sorts of vintage eye candy from an ever-rotating array of antiques, original art, and goods from artisan vendors—a fun excursion, whether or not you actually buy anything.

Vintage clothing enthusiasts find a constantly evolving collection of women’s and men’s pieces on these racks, alongside new numbers—linen maxi skirts, silk tunics, and flowing kimonos—from local designers. The apothecary section carries retro manicure and beard trimming sets, as well as fragrances from Maison Louis Marie.

About 100 yards from the entrance to Acadia National Park's Schoodic District is the production facility and year-round store for this brand of paraben- and sulfate-free all-natural soaps. While the soaps are sold at retailers throughout New England, you can also buy Prospect Harbor's other products, like wild blueberry shea butter/ jojoba lotion, Vagabond men's bath items, and soy candles in the shiplap-walled shop. There are also apple jams and maple syrup made by other small Maine businesses, and in the fall, the owner's honey until it's sold out.

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.