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
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
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
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
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
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
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