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Wishlists

The Best Places to Buy Souvenirs in Portland, Maine

Maine Beer | © Allagash Brewing/Flickr
Maine Beer | © Allagash Brewing/Flickr
Bargain hunters and big-ticket spenders alike have a lot to cheer for when it comes to shopping in Portland, Maine. Galleries, tacky tourist shops, bespoke suit tailors: Portland can satisfy most souvenir needs. From paintings to apparel to beer—yes, beer—here’s what you need to know about where to go.

Flea-For-All

Flea-For-All features everything from hand-me-down garments and home goods to furnishings and signs from bygone Maine businesses. Open Friday to Sunday, the shop has a curated selection from some 80 vendors

Flea-For-All 585 Congress St, Portland, ME, USA, +1 207 370 7570

Vintage home furnishings | Courtesy of Flea-For-All

Abacus Gallery

Dealing in higher-end jewelry, crafts and prints, this coastal establishment (there are five locations) sells wares from Maine, and New England-based artists. From silver teardrop earrings to giclèe prints of buoys, dinghies, and lighthouses, a stop at Abacus will land you custom souvenirs that won’t break the bank.

Abacus Gallery, 44 Exchange Street Portland, ME, USA, + 1 207 772 4880

Cool As A Moose

For your budget souvenir needs, Cool As A Moose will sell you a classic Maine tee or souvenir with minimal need to wade through tacky cast-asides. Established over 30 years ago, the clothing, sunglasses, and apparel seller has site-specific locations (i.e. “Portland”) emblazoned on tees. Cutesy, Maine-centric nic nacs are the stock in trade. The materials are good, and last as long as a normal shirt.

Cool As A Moose, 388 Fore St, Portland, ME, USA, + 1 207 774 4515

Cool As A Moose T-Shirt | Courtesy of Cool As A Moose

Sea Bags

Maine bag maker Sea Bags gives new life to old sails by hunting down fabric to cut, stitch, and sew fashionable totes. Locally crafted, sourced, and made using recycled materials, it’s easy to see why the company has quickly become a national and international sensation. Nautical-themed aesthetics complete the look. You could do worse than buying a bag from where it all started: Maine.

Seabags, 25 Custom House Wharf, Portland, ME, USA, + 1 207 780 0744

Nautical-styled totes | Courtesy of Sea Bags

Longfellow Books

It’s hard to imagine forgetting Longfellow. You may not always remember where you buy your books, but Longfellow (named after Portland’s most famous son and the leading poet of his day) makes the task less about the purchase and more about an immersion in the arts. Staff book reviews, featured Maine authors, and cats (the bookstore hosts them for local shelters), Longfellow is an ideal place to make a book a memento.

Longfellow Books, 1 Monument Way, Portland, ME, USA, + 1 207 772 4045

David Wood Clothiers, Haberdashery & Tailor Shop

Shop, Store
Sure—the wools come from Italy. The brands are not uniquely Maine. But David Wood Clothiers is about the experience of getting a custom-made suit and the memories to come. The custom tailor weaves Maine themes—including flannel, “fancy” linen, and lobster motifs—into its work, giving your bland suit a uniquely Maine touch. Flirting with hipster, the shop features Maine themes (read: lobster and lighthouses) and everything outdoors adorn the accessories, which include fresh-water tied flies as suit buttons, caps with moose insignia and thick-threaded shirts.
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Portland Trading Co.

Okay, we’re not entirely sure why you need a custom hand axe with a hickory handle whose origin story is longer than most biographies, but if you do this Old Port shop has it, and much more. Portland Trading Co. is what happens when daper dips into hipster (think flasks, flannel, and ball-point pens). But the Maine gift themes run strong here—antlers emblazoned on slippers and patches, a flag of a pine tree shining under a single star—and that $40 faux gold key ring (“Simple, elegant and timeless. Keeps keys organized”) just may be your thing.

Portland Trading Co., 157 Middle St, Portland, ME, USA, +1 207 899 0228

The Tackle Shop

Shop
Spin. Fly. Bait. Three simple words tell you everything you need to know about Maine’s warm-weather months. The state’s sea and river fishing is legendary, and these outfitters will equip you with the local, handmade flies necessary to entice the most recalcitrant of trophy fish (we’re looking at you, brown trout). Visiting the state for recreation? The Tackle Shop’s fishing reports provide up-to-date info on river conditions and details on fly hatchings, turning disaster into fishing (known to fly-fishermen as “disappointment”).
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The Portland Museum of Art

Art Gallery, Museum
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Portland Museum of Art | © Joe Turgeon / Flickr
Stormy seas and sunny lighthouses; kaleidoscopes of animals and images constrained to a lamp shade; label pins. At the Portland Museum of Art’s shop you can buy the best of its collection, including Winslow Homer, Picasso, and Monet. Maine’s premier art gallery is also one of the top places to get a Maine souvenir of the people and places that have inspired artists for generations.
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Craft Beer Cellar

No trip to Maine would be complete without picking up its latest cultural export (no, not north woods outlaws): beer. Maine brewers tank among the best in the nation (the best, should you stop in a local bar and ask) and their latest concoctions can be found around the city. The centrally located shop, Craft Beer Cellar, showcases some of the best, including Allagash Brewing Company, Foundation Brewing Company, and Oxbow. This Maine souvenir may not last long, but it will impart memories (unless circumstances provide you should forget them).

Craft Beer Cellar, 320 Fore St, Portland, ME, USA, + 1 207 956 7322