My brother and I were spending the day exploring Kittery, York, and Kennebunkport and decided to…read moreswing by Wells on our way back up to Portland to see if anything stuck out to us. We were driving up Route 1 and noticed a few antique shops when we approached Douglas Harding. Since my brother is a fan of bookstores, specifically ones that carry old and rare ones, we decided to stop and check it out. DH sits right on Route 1 in a prime location. It's kind of unassuming from the outside, but once you're inside it gives away to how grand the space actually is. There are rooms and rooms filled with books - I kept walking around thinking I reached the back of the store but it just didn't stop! The shop carries a big selection and is neatly organized by section. There are clear indicators as to what is where, and they keep their rarer finds behind glass cabinets. You can honestly get lost for hours in this place, there are so many shelves to browse, and they have something for virtually everyone - from historical encyclopedia to a tell-all guide to Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch. They also have a side room that is filled with maps of spots all around the world for sale. From what I can gather, a father and daughter own/run the shop - they were both friendly and offered help looking for something if we needed it. Overall, this was a great find in Wells - all the times I had been here I had never thought to stop in and I'm glad we did. It's definitely worth exploring if you're in the area.

Lovely to meet and talk to the owner; he's a bit hard of hearing but happy to talk books. He's…read moremoved fully into a smaller building, so not as many books but still an interesting collection.

Great shop with friendly employees. Good selection of mostly new items with some used books…read moresprinkled in around various locations. I would like to add it is not the priority nor obligation for a private store owner to provide restroom services for customers based on perceived inconvenience to locate a public facility elsewhere. What an absolutely preposterous notion upon which to rate a store.

Went into the bookstore to buy a couple of books for our 3 small grandchildren. Our granddaughter…read moreneeded to go to the bathroom. We asked if they had a bathroom that we could use and were told no, so we had to run her across the street to get her to the bathroom. The store must have a bathroom for their employees, but wouldn't offer it up to us for our granddaughter. I like supporting local businesses, but maybe they should reciprocate by supporting their customers needs. This seems to be a common theme in Wolfeboro.

Small little store, with an area for kids books, a small area for new books, and a small room for…read moreused books. The two older women that run the store aren't the friendliest people around, you feel like you're bothering them as you casually look around. Prices are kind of high, especially on their used books.

This was a small but well-curated bookstore with an assortment of new books and two rooms full of…read moresecondhand books. I was really impressed with the quantity AND quality of the used books-- it seems like they take care with what they choose to sell. I especially liked their mass market romance section-- perfect for the beach!

The fourth stop bookstore stop for our Indie Bookstore Day trip. This is quite a unique bookstore…read moreas well as a spot that could use the support from the community. Back earlier this month they had actually announced they needed to close. Besides being Indie Bookstore Day it was also the day they reopened! I had found them on social media early this year and wanted to plan a trip to check it out with my wife who loves to read. Was a disappointing time seeing their closure announcement before we could visit but glad they were able to open back up. Located in Kittery you'll find this bookstore inside a contemporary art gallery. It's on the smaller side but still had a great variety that everyone should find a great book that looks interesting to them! Both for adult readers as well as some kids books too. To celebrate Indie Bookstore Day they had some deals going on and had some light snacks and refreshments out. They also had a large selection of blind date books which caught my wife's attention for a while. Prices were reasonable and staff were friendly. A local bookstore worth checking out and supporting! A truly unique business collaboration for a bookstore and art gallery meeting as one.

The fifth and final stop on our Indie Bookstore Day crawl. It really seems like local and small…read morebookstores are flourishing and more opening than years ago! It's a great thing to see and my wife enjoyed making a day of supporting these places. This particular one will be found on Route 1 in York. Parking is quite limited so be aware you may need to park close and walk over. They were running some special deals to celebrate Indie Bookstore Day including used books being buy two get third 50% off, spend $50 and get a free ARC book to name a few. Staff were very friendly and made everyone feel welcome. Similar to the parking situation it is a small building so if they are busy it may be difficult to wander around the store space wise but nothing that waiting a bit can't fix. They do also have a second floor that did not feel as crowded. Great selection of both new books and classics but also plenty of book related goodies that could be a perfect gift for the readers in your life. Yet another great local bookstore down in southern Maine worth stopping at!

The Octopus Bookshop is such a cool little store. I walked out of this place maybe five minutes ago…read moreand I'm so glad we stumbled upon it. I'm in Maine with family (I'm from Los Angeles) and my dad is giving us a bit of a tour around the area. This small shop has so much charm, such a cool theme, and had such a nicely displayed curation of books that I'm actually mad I couldn't fill up a bag and hang out downtown Kennebunk and just hang out, but moving on. This store is beautiful, and even though we didn't interact with any of the staff, they just seemed super friendly. On top of a great selection of books you could also snag some mugs or shirts and I'm also regretting not getting that, but I'll for sure be back in the future, mark my word. Overall, Octopus Bookshop is the perfect little bookstore for a beautiful little town like Kennebunk. It might not be anytime soon, but I'll be sure to check this place out again when I return to Maine.

The Kennebunks are blessed with some nice local bookshops. Octopus is NOT one…read more Try Lupine Books in Kennebunkport at 28 Dock Square or Perkins Cove Bookshop at 12 Perkins Cove Rd in Ogunquit. Both have great local selections and appreciate customers and are NICE. My wife walked many blocks from our car to Octopus Books and had a book in hand that she was interested in buying, when the woman store worker was extremely rude to her. She actually insulted the size of my wife's professionally trained, papered service dog. She was very rude. Needlessly. Life is short and this is a book store with people purposely there to buy books and support local bookstores. To have a clerk treat book buyers disrespectfully is completely unnecessary and unacceptable. We will never cross the threshold of Octopus Books ever again. Shop someplace else.

They have everything you could ever want as far as games and cards. If you need it they have it.read more

What a cool shop! They had so many cool games and toys for kids and adults. The employees were kind…read moreand helpful. They had some games out on display to try out. There was also a play space in the back.

This place was super cute! It's basically a library with a bar instead, and I loved the unique…read moreatmosphere. They have a great selection of draft beers along with wine spritzers. The bartender was so nice and personable. She chatted with us, made us feel welcome, and even gave us a few suggestions for other places to check out nearby. And the best part? There was a dog named Luna who was an absolute sweetheart! Such a fun and cozy spot--we'd definitely come back.

Forgot to write the review for this spot on Indie Bookstore Day. All of the places we visited were…read morea great stop but this was the top visit of our day. It's a great spot that has a good amount of books including highly anticipated releases and classics. They were also running a deal if you spent enough you could choose a book from their slightly used books which my wife got to grab a book from and it had some high quality barely used looking books on it! Was a great deal and the staff were all so friendly too. The big plus as you could guess from their name is besides being just a bookstore they also had a bar with a good craft beer tap list. Was a perfect stop for us to grab a beer before continuing our bookstore crawl! We are big fans of the bookstores who integrate of combine other businesses together. Who wouldn't love to grab their next book to read then without needing to leave can sit down and enjoy a beer while starting to read. A spot we will definitely return back to when we find ourselves in Portsmouth!