This is an aggregate review for a number of visits I made to this shop over five weeks' time,…read moreAutumn 2020. TL;DR: Go to this lovely shop. You'll be super pleased with their selection; find things you love/ need/ must have; and it will be a cheerful experience. Scroll down to the numbered list below to see what I scored. The Longer Story: I had just moved to town for a six month artists' residency in Rockland and didn't know a soul. After a bit of unmotivated unpacking, I took myself thrift store shopping, as one does, for retail therapy to fill the void. Luckily for me, Curator was the first spot I hit because I met co-owner Ben, a deeply friendly and cheerful guy. I met his wife Emily on my second visit. She's equally friendly and cheerful. And luckily for you, me, and everyone else we know* that might like to shop at Curator, both Emily and Ben love what they do. It shows. Curator is a bi-level shop with "menswear" (plus shoes & accessories) on the top floor and womenswear (plus shoes & accessories) a floor below. It's a gorgeous spot so whilst you're totally focused on your sartorial fix, take a few minutes to notice the thoughtful experiential design of the space--a lil modern, a lil dreamy, and a lot of DIY mojo. The first time I popped in I had a proper look around in order to get familiar with the Curator edit lens. In doing so, I found a pair of brand new, black leather Swedish clogs, size 6, that almost fit, but really didn't. Ben commiserated with me but reminded that sometimes things don't work out and that's totally okay. You know what? This is #truth. In thrifting, specifically, but in life, generally. I have pretty specific aesthetic when I thrift/ vintage/ consignment shop: excellent textiles/ fabric; handmade beauty; strong shapes/ cuts/ tailoring/ weaves; classic designs but also, the super quirkier, the better. Curator earns high marks in all of my categories. This is pretty rare. What it means is that I knew I would find something each time I came in and that's exactly what happened. Here's what I acquired: 1) a lovely VINTAGE SILK SCARF, cut, repurposed, and hand-stitched from a muted, lustrous apple-green silk obi with tiny, stylized, watercolor cherry blossoms. It should be said that the silk is excellent quality--heavy but super supple. $16.00. I wouldn't blink paying 10x that amount for this in Brooklyn or Paris. 2) a luscious oversized "menswear" CABLED CREAM CASHMERE SWEATER. I literally walked into the store, said hello to Emily, looked at the mens' sweater rack, saw *my* sweater hanging there, and snagged it. I've worn it at least once a week for 10 weeks running. Bonus: it's got good gauge (number of stitches per inch) and ply (number of cashmere threads twisted together to make the yarn). $38.00 Buy vintage cashmere, ya'll, always. 3) a FUZZY WOOLEN BEANIE, knit moss, plum, garnet & deep peony, from Nepal. Gorgeous colors. Warm as hell. $13.00 4) a crazy beautiful HAND-KNITTED ART SWEATER, again "menswear" so sized a bit enormous, but seriously fluffy & so wild and otherworldly, it had to be mine. Again: walked in, looked to my right, saw the sweater. Bought it. This weave is a medley of pelucid blues w/ intricate cream & white dropped-stitch-knit technique that looks as if "snowflakes" are resting on the garment, for a moment, w/o melting. I wouldn't be surprised if the maker had been dropping acid whilst knitting this piece, just as Van Gogh imbibed generous quantities of absinthe to produce his signature hypnotic, ethereal yet muscular brushwork for "Starry Night." That. Trippy. Y'all. Emily, bless her, asked if I'd like to try it on (perhaps because of its size & erm...vibe) and I declined. I knew I'd find use for it. I have worn it once, to sit on my sofa and drink champagne while I FaceTimed-celebrated my best childhood friend, finally divorced, because that is how we show up for each other: in any all ways possible. When we meet up again IRL, I will give this sweater to him because he truly deserves life's best, which sometimes arrives in unexpected, sweater-form shapes. $42.00 I'll end by noting that one can find more traditional, excellent things at Curator as well, like vintage LL Bean Sweaters; vintage Carhartt; vintage work wear including lots of Levis denim; a Pucci silk frock; a number of excellent plaid and thick weight shirts; fine leather goods; vintage jewelry; woolen capes; disco spectacular sequined numbers; and vintage Ts in fine condition, etc. Go. Enjoy yourself. And before you do, check Curator's social to learn of their COVID-safety protocols. Should you prefer to shop from home, check their IG & website. I took a look recently and it's not as wow-ing an experience as being in the store itself but of course, as a treasure hunter, you already know that. *(Thanks, Miranda July, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Me_and_You_and_Everyone_We_Know)

Such an awesome consignment shop with so many good vintage finds…read more Men's clothing upstairs, women's clothing downstairs. Clean and organized aesthetic, so it's not overwhelming when you walk in like a lot of consignment shops are. And the racks aren't overflowing and hard to sift through... we love to see it. So many jackets and sweaters, shoes, hats, shirts, dresses, etc. for solidly decent prices. I got a vintage patterned LL Bean sweater for $25. PLUS, incredibly sweet employees. The woman who checked me out was so nice and excited for my find. Great for validation if you need it lol. Will for sure recommend to any friends living in or visiting Rockland, Maine.

Great looking clothes. Great variety. Trendy and professional options. Poor and rude customer…read moreservice. No matter what the prices or selections are ... will never spend my hard earned dollars here

Ok, this store is so cost prohibitive I can't believe it. BUT, when they have sales, they have the…read moremost fantastic sales and the finest quality clothes. the store is very artsy and set up nicely. They even sell soaps, shoes and tea, yes they sell tea. I bought some.......expensive. Good tea though. OH and yeah, they have issues with clothes being hung properly. My thing with that is, hey, you take it down you put it back BUT,when there are little signs that say "please fold clothes" Uh, no, that isn't my job, that is yours. Unless you pay me, I don't fold. I put back as neat as I can where I got it, but no folding.

Great selection of holiday items, and it was made better with the 50% off post-holiday sale!…read more Impressed with The Hanukkah selection, we have friends that celebrate Hanukkah and find it challenging to find appropriate items for them. They had a lot of unique items, I really liked the baking section with lots of baking pans and decorating sugars.

I've been a fan of all of the TJX stores for a while now and when on vacation it is tough for me to…read morepass one up. This one did not disappoint. I've never seen a better clearance section than I did here. A $200 Calvin Klein bag for $25?? Yes, thank you. OPI nail polish for $1.99? Sure, I'll take that too. You better believe i will stop in again if I find myself in the area.

I popped into Heavenly Threads once while I was living in Midcoast Maine for several weeks and it…read morewas a total success. They only allow a set number of people into the two-story shop at a time. This means one has to queue in the front yard in order to get in but as it's a church thrift shop in gorgeous, peaceful, and quaint Camden, ME, one's line mates might become immediate thrifting buddies, as was the case with me. Time passes quickly when one is sharing banana bread recipes and wondering when the first frost will hit. Inside the shop, it's up to each person to maintain six feet or more feet of distance apart, per shop rules. Some folks wore gloves, everyone wore masks, it felt safe. And because there is so much lovely stuff to look at, it wasn't that difficult staying put in any given area, having a proper browse, whilst waiting for the next rack, shelf or display case to be clear. There seemed to be an unspoken choreography at play with folks just getting when to stay put and when to move. All of this takes time so please don't come for this shopping experience if you're in a rush. Like: why are you thrifting anyway? Thrifters know that at least 50% of the pleasure of hunting is the slow pace. I found a gorgeous, hand knit, variegated spruce green wool sweater (think deep dark fir run through with bits of turquoise, dark brown, pops of crimson, ecru and pale grey) that I swear-to-gods just took off to hand wash today, after wearing it several times a week for five weeks. It's become my blankie, my superpower, and sweater-shaped best friend. And when I was walking around in Maine, I looked like a spritely moving shrub. Cost: $10.00. I also found two excellent macrame wall hangings--70s-style or actually from the seventies. Mid-century freaks, FYI, this spot is for you as I paid $4.00 per piece. My newly found thrifting pals let me know that they shop at Heavenly Threads on the regular and then resale in their vintage stall down the way at 10 Mechanic street. They told me that the macrame pieces I found would make hipster summer folks mental. That just made me feel very good inside :D Just before I cashed out with one of the very sweet elder lady volunteers, I happened upon a number of lovely black and white mounted photographs and a strange little original lithograph. Acquired 8 works, 6 bucks. The hours are a bit odd, Wednesday-Saturday 12pm-3pm. Obviously, Saturday is the busiest day. It's worth it to make the trip over if you can, not just for the thrifting but for the gentle company of low-key Midcoast ME fellow thrifters and super nice staff.

Vast and filled with a wonderful assortment of vintage and antique items of every description at…read morereasonable prices. A find.

The owner is so welcoming. She has a wide variety of styles and price points…read more Really beautiful location. And great to shop for gifts after having lunch on the waterfront.

A fantastic treasure chest of classy clothes in Camden. My wardrobe is now 50% Motifs. Makes me…read morehappy and the compliments keep coming! Paula, the owner, is my secret wardrobe weapon. She's got taste, sass and a fantastic sense of humor. I also buy little gifts for friends and family as well as holiday candles. Go and support a Maine, born and bred, business woman. Plus enjoy the harbor view after you shop! You won't regret it!

Really cool clothes here for both men and women. My wife loves coming here when we are in town and…read moreI always seem to find a cool looking and great fitting shirt or pair of shor. Staff is always kind and helpful . Nice location with old plank hardwood floors and views of the ships / water. Highly recommended as they carry some high quality and interesting clothing that does not cost a fortune.

Fatface is fast becoming one of my favorite clothing retailers…read more This UK brand makes quality threads which began two guys wanting to make a living and inspired by their favourite black mountain ski run in Val d'Isère, La Face. With over 200 stores overseas and 20 (and growing) on the east coast, I'm sure many others will feel the same way. I've bought a few pieces over the years and their clothing is top notch casual. The folks in this store are super friendly and a strong advocate for the brand. When I visited, it was pretty low key at the end of summer and there was a sale as well. Double plus for my overall experience. Hope they stick around and definitely stay in Camden, ME.

Nice women's clothing store with a nautical theme -- I was in desperate need of a sun hat & they…read morehad about 15 cute styles to choose from. Not super-trendy (maybe more for the 40's-50's set), but cute overall and some very pretty lightweight scarves too.

Very inviting! The ladies who were working were so very kind very friendly. One of the very best…read moreconsignment stores I have ever shopped at. Amazing quality merchandise.

I have lived here in Rockport, Maine for over a half-century, and I have never encountered a…read morebusiness owner as rude, curt, and downright obnoxious as the owner of Serendipity. The record keeping of this clothing resale store is prehistoric and pretechnologic. Basically, there is no record keeping, and no receipts, leading to utter chaos. They lost an item I had brought in to consign, and after I had checked the shop three weeks in a row to search their inventory to try and locate the item in their store, the response from them was: we don't have time to look for your item - you must do it yourself. There was never any acceptance on their part of the fact that my item was lost by them, nor any apology. Their concession to this fiasco was to offer me a credit for what I would have received if they had actually sold the item, which they did not do. Not recommended for consigners!

Whenever I find myself near the Abel Shopper I always stop in. The selection is typically very…read moregood and the prices are amazing. Why do they not have this store in central or Southern Maine?

We again included this craft shop/gallery on our walking tour of Rockland. The current exhibition…read morewas "Visions - Maine's Coastal Edges" that featured the paintings of Kaitlyn Miller and Anne Stuer plus the clay relief sculptures of Randy Fein.

Best high end made in Maine store. Excellent selection of Maine made crafts and merchandise. All…read moresales benefit the Island Institute. Great cause. Beautiful store with some of the nicest gifts and crafts from Maine. All of their items are high end and just the pick of the litter. I especially liked the hand blown glass lobster floats. They were awesome. Wonderful selection of Maine books and children's books, as well as stationery. Some clothes and belts and sea bags by various Maine companies. Just wonderful local Maine goods for sale in a nice atmosphere for a great cause.