49 Exchange St, Portland, ME

Sherman’s Maine Coast Bookshop in Portland is one of a chain of bookstores located in towns and cities throughout the region, and this particular location is in the heart of the city’s Old Port neighborhood, surrounded by coffee shops, amazing restaurants, and trendy boutiques. I already visited other Sherman’s Bookshops and I hoped this one would stand up to the excellent reputation it earned elsewhere. Answer: yes, yes it does, as I discovered on a cool summer morning with a coffee in hand and a mask on my face.

Book hunting during a pandemic can get tricky. You learn to check ahead to see if shops are open. You learn to avoid aisles that look too narrow or have a staffer stocking shelves. You become hyper-aware of your surroundings, always keeping an eye over your shoulder for other patrons roaming too near. But we were lucky to hit this one so early on a Monday, because other than staff, we had the shop to ourselves.

The thing I love best about Sherman’s, and it’s my favorite thing about any good bookshop that focuses on new books, is that they have almost as many discounted books as they do new books. Okay, maybe not 50/50, but it’s a good chunk of their shop. And their discounted books aren’t the junk copies the nobody wants. They include recent bestsellers, classic titles, and sometimes the lesser known books by authors I love, so I always have a field day in this section.

But the shop has plenty of brand new and unique offerings in their other displays and aisles, too. They have a wall of fiction, a room stuffed with kid’s book, recent nonfiction, regional and state-specific books pertinent to Maine, and you bet: a whole lotta Stephen King. Which I’m totally okay with. The selection is robust and covers all the usual bases you’d come to expect from a good bookshop, and the selections this store will keep you browsing for quite a while. I especially like the thin chalkboard running along to the top of many book cases listing what lies beneath in clever and colorful ways.

The shop also has a ton of gifts, games, calendars, cards, literary knickknacks, loads of amusing items for kids, bags and clothes, and has something unique and fun in every nook and room you can find. This store, like so many of their other locations, was an absolute treat to browse through, and I appreciated the care they took to keep customers safe by shifting some displays around and trying to funnel folks up one aisle and down the other.

If you’re ever in Portland, Maine and you need a beach read, make sure you hit Sherman’s.

Atmosphere — A bright, vibrant shop with a wide array of bestsellers, gifts, games, and discounted titles. It almost feels like part bookstore, part toyshop.

Quality — The books are all new and the gifts are unique.

Quantity — They have a load of books packed into a couple of long rooms. There’s enough to keep you browsing for quite a while.

Diversity — This shop hits all the main categories with a healthy selection of children’s books, fiction, new titles, plus plenty of gifts and games throughout.

Affordability — New books at new book prices, but they have a TON of new discounted books that will keep your wallet very happy.

Amenities — Not much in the way of lounging areas here, but there are loads of great parks and cafes nearby.

Location — On a very fun commercial street in the Old Port area. A lot of the street was blocked off for outdoor seating at nearby cafes, so it felt very safe and relaxing.

Customer Service — Everyone was friendly and busy, and they did a great job checking us out in a safe manner.

Overall — This shop is one of the many excellent branches of the Sherman’s chain of stores throughout Maine, and its location, selection, and array of gifts and discounted titles will keep locals and tourists very happy.