Such a cool bookstore in a hidden spot. I came across this randomly and had to stop in. It is such…read morea cute little bookstore, it is small but it is filled to the brim! One of the owners was there and was so knowledgeable about all the books they had. The books are all crime based and she said between her and the other owner they had at least read all the authors. The books are very well priced and I think the experience alone is worth the trip.

Mainely Murders is a delightful little bookstore run by Paula and Ann (or is it Ann and Paula?),…read moretwo terrific women who say that they thought about opening the store for 35 years before they finally did it. It's a small independent bookstore that's tucked down a side street, but you're just about there if you're on Route 1 in Kennebunk. Just turn down Bourne Street and you'll find them. They've got thousands of books about murder and mystery, mostly used, sorted by the location of the story or author. There are mysteries that take place around the world or in New England, books where the main character is a dog, etc. In fact, they were having a food drive for a local pet shelter when we were there. If you're local and you didn't know about this store, get down there! And if you're a tourist who's looking for some reading material, you won't do better than Mainely Murders Bookstore. In any case, this is what bookstores were like before Barnes & Noble chased the little guys out of the business and then Amazon turned book shopping into an online experience. You might want to go to their website or call them to check their hours before you drop by. We went in October and their Fall hours had begun, so they were going to be closed on Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday.

My go to study/wfh spot for years. Plenty of outlets and seating, love that they stay open later…read morethan other coffee shops in the area. Love that they have local brews on tap + a good selection of books. The set up a few seats outside when it's nice out! Good cold brew, iced tea, chai, and matcha. Bagels from Rose Foods (aka delish). Their tapas plates are great for a snack!

My first time being made aware of Elements is actually due to them doing collaboration beers with…read moreBarreled Souls. This morning, my wife and I finally planned to go check out their space for the first time. What more could you truly ask for than a cafe/coffee shop meets bookstore meets beer bar! My wife is more of an avid reader than I am so she enjoyed the book aspect more. They have a large menu of offerings drink wise with everything you'd expect from a coffee shop. I do wish they did a rotating seasonal special drink menu, as places usually have one or more great sounding drinks on those. Both my wife and I settled on an iced blueberry latte. Overall it had hints of blueberry and tasted more like milk than anything. Would not be rushing back for it specifically that's for sure. Food wise they have some in-house baked goods as well as bagels from Rose Foods and corssiants from Little Spruce Baking. My wife got a plain bagel with cream cheese while I grabbed a chocolate croissant. I did mess up by not requesting it be warmed up but it was still delicious! Will be finding more spots that have goodies from Little Spruce. The bagel was also tasty. Book wise my wife enjoyed browsing but did not find any books she needed to grab. She did enjoy reading a couple chapters of her current book while we sat by the large windows (good spot for world watching outside). We enjoyed our visit but have other spots we would be happier to visit again.

Absolutely adorable. It's small enough to maintain that cozy, comfortable, welcoming feeling but…read morehas enough books to keep you busy! I love the layout of the whole store and the staff that work there are incredibly helpful. Instead of pointing in the direction of where what book I was looking for, the staff member went and lead me there herself, got the book for me and even offered some suggestions! What great service. Very reasonable prices for a used bookstore and I think it's cool they offer brand new titles as well.

Friendly service, inviting atmosphere, knowledgeable staff, reasonably priced books... this is a…read moregreat local bookstore.

I mean it's a book store…read more Always end up getting 2 or 3 books. Great selection, staff are always friendly and their recommendations allow for expanding your reading interest.

I think, if you're going to come to a chain bookstore, this should be the place you visit. It's so…read morenew; it's got that new book smell (not really, but... maybe, kinda, sorta?)! 1. So much easy, free parking in their huge shared lot. 2. There's a Starbucks-adjacent cafe. NOTE: it's NOT actually Starbucks though, so you can't order ahead or pay with your app. Just a heads-up! The cafe portion of the bookstore is spacious and clean, with the tables themselves also being spaced quite far apart from one another. It creates a real sense of privacy no matter where you sit! 3. The atmosphere/layout here is very modern and inviting; the selection itself is enormous. Genres are clearly labeled, and there's a tremendous amount of content available no matter what you're looking for (so be prepared to spend some time here wandering around and taking it all in... then you'll probably have to come back, because there's no way you'll actually be able to take it all in on the first visit!). They've got new releases, popular books, recommendations, board games, and more. And, of course, the random armchair for you to sit and peruse your possible purchase. Obviously, support local first. But if you're looking for a slow-paced, wide open, very quiet, very tidy spot to spend a little bit of time (without feeling rushed or forced to purchase something) finding your next favorite read, I'd suggest visiting here!

Bull Moose Music moved from its former smaller store in Sanford to a bigger plaza space at…read moreBiddeford Crossing. This bigger space was once a Nonesuch Books. This new employee owned Bull Moose store is way less cramped than its former Sanford location, where I've shopped for music a long way back. This store had their grand opening a few months ago. Like its old location except more spread out inside, the Biddeford location offers a pretty good selection of new and used music, movies, video games, and books to choose from. The store is well organized nicely by sections with vinyl records, books, CDs, video games, DVDs, Blu-rays and miscellaneous items in between. The music is organized by genre alphabetically with a mix of new and used CDs, They also carry used cassettes ($3 each) underneath the old vinyls. The prices including the sale prices here are very competitive to the online music stores. The Bull Moose website is a good place to search and find which stores have your item or title in stock. They also do special orders and accept used music, movies, and video games for $$$ if in good condition. I spotted several used CDs from 20 years ago being sold for as low as $2.97, which I have in my personal collection and are no longer made. As a holder of the Bull Moose Music FBC (Freakin' Buyers Card), I earn points with each purchase here and receive the Bull Moose Music weekly emails with their e-sales flyers, new releases, promotions, and events (chainwide). IMO, the new Biddeford Bull Moose location is a great improvement to the older cramped location, though it's not as big as the Scarborough Superstore location.

Don't judge a book by its cover…read more On the surface, it's a bookstore in a stripmall and it looks a little run down. But this spot is an ABSOLUTE GEM. It feels like a bookstore in Portland for Mainers: it's not trendy, it's not trying to wow you with its aesthetics, it's not in a part of town you'd just stumble upon. You are going out of your way to come here, and the immediate community you'll feel inside isn't something you're going to find at tourist-located spots that are dependent on foot traffic. + There's parking! + It's women-owned! + Got to overhear some lovely conversations between the owner and the customers like she genuinely knew everyone who shopped there/everyone was an extended family member! Segue... + When I went to cash out, the owner introduced herself to me, shook my hand, welcomed me into the store! She commented on my book selection and said it was the perfect thing to read for this season in this lovely state we call home (and that just kind of felt like getting an A+ in elementary school again)! + It's a clean, well organized store with places to sit; and, there were plenty of little printed out recommendations from the staff for some particular books on the shelves which I appreciate and always take the time to read. I can see this becoming a spot I stop at more regularly (of cooooourse, I joined the loyalty program)!

Letterpress has recently expanded and renovated, yet still maintains the friendliness of a local,…read moreindie bookstore. I can always count on the staff for personal recommendations. If they don't have a book I'm seeking, they'll order it and I have it in hand within a couple days. So happy to have an indie bookstore in the same plaza where I get groceries, handle my business's postal stuff, take my dog for supplies... so convenient and neighborly.

LOVE THE BOOKWORM! What a beat little store and the lady who was working when I went in, WHAT AN…read moreAMAZING person. The store is on the smaller side and such but it is clean and easy to shop. They have a rewards program too. I don't live close by, but maybe soon. I Will be back!

This bookstore has been a treasured ''go to" for me for years. Especially now when I refuse to…read moregive Jeff Bezos any more of my money (boo, hiss Amazon!!), I am committed to shopping/ordering locally. Their hours are 10-2 every day except closed on Sunday. They have recently expanded their footprint and have dedicated much more space to their used book collection. There are also wonderful small gift items and a gift for any "hard to buy for person" can be found in this gem of a store. The employees are delightful, knowledgeable and go out of their way to help. Run, don't walk to Gorham's Bookworm. You won't be disappointed.

If you are a book lover and looking to get lost in browsing for a few hours this may be the spot to…read morecheck out. While my wife and I did not find anything to buy it was worth checking out. They definitely seem to lean more towards history/war/military and older books. If you are a fan of those types of books you could find a lot of hidden gems I am sure. There is a little bit of a musty smell due to a combination of the old books and lack of airflow in the older building. Also beware space is limited so be ready for for changing directions or getting out of the way if other patrons are nearby. Shelves upon shelves of books with some taped to papers letting you know the section you are in. While it does have some order in this sense at the same time it's chaotic mainly due to crammed space. Can't really speak to value all that much as I did not see the prices for many books and honestly I would not have a good sense of the actual value of the books either. As I said a must visit for book lovers in or visiting Portland to lose yourself while browsing. You can tell a lot of time and effort went into building this collection of books! The one star deduction is solely due to the largest portions of their books are just genres I generally don't have any interest in. I do appreciate it for what it is though and would recommend it.

Yes Books- I stumbled in here one day, and spent an hour looking around. Honestly, it felt more…read morelike five minutes. Everything was so wonderful, I was sad I had to leave. I've been back quite a few times since then and I must say that Yes Books always gets a Yes from me!

Amazing selection. Bright, clean layout. Friendly and helpful staff. Cool little coffee shop…read more Great magazine section.

The staff here go above and beyond to find the perfect book. Some reviews complain there wasn't a…read morebook for them, but there are literally a million books here, especially new releases, Spanish language, manga, classics, young adult, and a huge bargain section. I love when I'm offered to have an in-demand or hard-to-find book shipped to my house. Easy peasy. I resisted joining the membership program (which is cheaper than Barnes & Nobles) until I realized that 50% off best sellers, 10% off all else, the reusable coupons, and free shipping would save hundreds. Wish I had listened and done it sooner. It's so nice that there are still some places where the customer comes first.

Having visited every Sherman's location besides one last location my wife and I know what to…read moreexpect. We revisited the Portland location to browse before a show we were seeing. This location seems to be the most similar to the OG Bar Harbor location. Located on Exchange Street you'll find exactly what you would like and want from an independent book store. Plenty of classic books everyone knows plus all the new and trendy books and everything in between. They keep the store well organized and sections are labeled well including sections with staff picks, Maine themed/authors. Really well thought out layout and besides books you'll also find a random yet great assortment of gifts/items tempting to buy for yourself or others. The only real knock I could mention for this location would be due to the fact the buildings are older space can be limited inside and if busy you may need to go around in some areas to get where you want to go. The staff have always been friendly and helpful during our visits here which is great. A top notch Sherman's location! Worthwhile stop for book lovers and even non-readers for the other things they sell.

This is a fun bookstore with a robust children's toys and trinkets section! A definite must stop…read morespot in Portland!