5 Best Places to Shop in Western Lakes and Mountains, Maine

Spacious and unpretentious, with several spots to cozy up and peruse a book, this beloved downtown bookstore has been in business since 1993. Author and native Mainer Stephen King, who summers in these parts, is a customer and has done book signings here. The helpful staff includes the husband-and-wife owners. Many regulars head straight for the "staff picks"—for recent and all-time kids and adult suggestions. There's a large bargain books area, used books are in the back, and nonfiction offerings are divided into an impressive number of labeled sections, like “nature” and “science.”  Among the fun gift items: totes that match popular books sold here, 3D puzzles, and wood-cut bathymetric maps, coasters, bookmarks, and ornaments made by a local artist, with designs featuring local lakes.

This welcoming grocery sells fresh produce and pork from the owner's Grasshopper Hill Farm in Rangeley as well as meat, seafood, and produce from other Maine farms and suppliers. Some offerings are organic, and the store is well stocked with specialty grocery items and cheeses, including Maine-produced foods. You can get pickles from a jar, olive oil from a barrel, and cheese from a huge wheel that greets shoppers. There's also fresh-baked pies, breads, and baked goods—cinnamon rolls on Sundays! Look for pumpkins out front come fall; in summer, get an ice cream cone from the seasonal stand by the picnic area.

Picture windows line the walls of this welcoming corner boutique that sells unique women's attire from the "USA and beyond." You'll find lively dresses for evenings out as well as running about, plus pants, tops, and so on. In business since 2009, Firefly is also known for handbags and jewelry, such as Celtic-inspired pieces crafted in Maine with recycled guitar strings and Fair Trade jewelry made with South American tagua nuts, a sustainable alternative to plastic known as "vegetable ivory."

Creative shop windows showcase an individual artist on a rotating weekly basis, inviting passersby into Bridgton Art Guild's wide-open tin-ceilinged gallery in a former hardware store. Eclectic and fun—definitely not stuffy—the gallery opened in 2003 and represents more than 40 local and regional artists working in various media. Artists' displays have their bio and photograph. Don't miss the back-corner gift shop with cards, small prints, and the like. Along with hosting wine and cheese receptions, lectures, and community events, the guild holds classes and workshops—many for a day or half day, so consider signing up (check the website for information on the many offerings).

A cheery red door welcomes customers to this hip, cozy grocery that sells specialty, organic, and Maine-produced foods. There's also a great selection of wines and domestic craft and imported beers, and the helpful staff can suggest picnic items or what to cook for dinner at your lodgings like the “heat and eat” meals and to-go salads—don't forget the whoopie pies for dessert. You can also order take-out sandwiches, soups, and salads, and even in winter, the store's outdoor Smokin’ Good BBQ ( www.smokingoodbarbecue.com) serves slow-smoked poultry, pork, and beef offerings from an orange trailer.