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.

First time visit to this used bookstore located on Congress after visiting Uncharted Tea. Which you…read more will even find books from here inside Uncharted as well as some other local spots. Don't mind the scaffolding outside and make your way in to explore if you are close by exploring when they are open. The store goes a lot further back than you would expect and the huge amount of books here means you could spend a long time browsing. Despite the narrow spaces and books being everywhere it is organized well and you will find lots of signs listing the current genre you are looking at. Which speaking of they offer so much I think everyone will find some books that catch your eyes here. Being a used bookstore they did have a good mix of older books while appearing to have more fresh and modern titles available as well. Prices seemed reasonable for the few I looked at. My wife almost bought a couple books but in the end just browsed but would highly recommend coming here for any book lovers. I would even say one of the better used bookshops we have visited! You may just find your next unexpected book you have to read.

Green Hand Bookshop is like the best kind of treasure hunt. I can (and have) spent hours here…read moreperusing the stacks for my next favorite read. It's excellent!

Don't be thrown by the location - this is a neighborhood gem. We went in right before closing with…read moretwo energetic kids. The staff could not have been more kind or helpful. They took time to get down to the physical level of my four year old, asking him what he liked and helped give us recommendations for his first chapter books. The diverse books and Maine authors featured made me really happy and although the shop is small, there was quite a wide variety. They also made it very easy to order anything they didn't have in stock. We will definitely be repeat customers!

Great place and very helpful service. The woman with whom I dealt even mailed the gift certificate…read moreI bought!

I think I found my third space in Portland…read more Back Cove Books is SO MUCH BIGGER than you think. Only after had I cashed out did I realize there was a hallway leading to a) a literal old bank vault where they keep all the mysteries, fantasy, and smut (that's very funny to have it "locked" away like that), and b) an extra room housing the non-fiction and cookbooks with a very well loved leather loveseat. On that note: I love when a book store has lots of comfortable seating, this small gesture immediately lets me know that there's noooooooooo rush. The playlist was so good, the space was so clean and well organized, the employees were lovely (I'd like to pick their brain for recommendations next time!); I appreciated the thoughtful, personal notes left on each of the books on the Staff Picks display wall; and, I so love that they have weekly story time, a book club, and other community-based events... this feels like an intentionally curated neighborhood book store. Support your local indie bookstores, reading pals! We need them more than ever.

My wife is such an avid reader and I am always on the look for new to us bookstores or finding a…read morenew little library. Somehow despite being a bookstore we have driven past numerous times it wasn't until recently I discovered this spot was here. Street parking was easy to find with a minimal walk. They have a great set up with plenty of newest and most hype releases and plenty of classics available as well. Books are separated with easy to locate genre sections and while it was not us, someone else came in asking for a specific book and staff led them to the right spot in a friendly and quick manner. They have some different spots available with seats to give your legs a break and enjoy a book. My wife loved the overall vibe of this bookstore and it was comfy and inviting. Prices on books seemed to be exactly what you'd expect so no complaints there. My wife's absolute favorite spot was the former bank vault that has been transformed into holding mystery, thrillers, and romance titles. You could not select a more perfect collection of genres for her to pick from! Great local bookstore to support!

I love Print: A Bookstore. I think that they especially excel in their poetry selection, which most…read morebookstores aren't as strong in, if I'm being honest. Love to pop in here and see what new volumes they have on their shelves!

I tried to come to an event here and they were at capacity which is very cool and fun for them but…read morethe person at the door handled it very rudely. I want to be compassionate that running a little business is hard but I just looked at the door from the sidewalk and the response was so forceful to go away. It seemed like they thought I was trying to break in. I really don't mind an event being full and think it's exciting for the author and would happily leave and come to something else but its bad to turn people away with such disdain. Even the bare minimum of welcoming at the door if this happens like, "Thanks for coming! So sorry please try coming back" instead of "Go away!" would be way better. I would recommend being prepared to be coldly turned away if you do try to come here. They seem like they do not want or need business from people. There are other welcoming little local bookstores in town.

Awesome store in the heart of Kennebunkport! I love stopping in here when visiting town and they…read morehave some sharp new Kennebunkport clothing as well!

Charming bookstore with a unique history. Buy the book, it is worth the read. Be sure to ask the…read moreowner about his dad!

What a great shop! Open "by chance or by appointment"…read more I lucked into by chance and had a great time browsing antique books & post cards. The postcards are new england mostly, arranged by state then city. I had a great time looking at postcards from my home city of Quincy, MA. The store cat was friendly and a cute surprise! This store is worth stopping for!

This is my favorite bookstore in the area. I can never seem to get out without buying books!…read more Great deals, as well a wonderful place to browse for an hour or so. The owners are wonderful as well.

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.