A Review of Sherman's Maine Coast Book Shop (Boothbay Harbor)
5 Commercial St., Boothbay Harbor, ME
Sometimes you walk into a bookshop and you are taken aback, eyebrows raised, surprised by the unexpected delight of finding a much bigger bookshop than you were expecting, a shop that you want to spend the rest of the afternoon browsing around the stacks, slowly parsing the deals, gifts, and merch until you find just the right book. This is the feeling that Sherman’s Maine Coast Bookshop in Boothbay Harbor gives off. Located in the heart of one of Maine’s exemplary coastal villages—a bustling tangle of hilly streets full of gift shops, restaurants, and all the tourist ephemera you can imagine—this shop is far more than I expected.
First of all, it’s massive. Sure, half of it is gifts and souvenirs aimed at those May-to-October tourists, but the sheer amount of books is impressive for a town this size. I know cities that don’t have bookstores this large and impressive. The first floor offers local and regional books about Maine’s history and geography (not to mention cooking), as well as literary offerings about Maine, tomes on lobstering and fishing, photograph books containing every lighthouse imaginable, discounted titles, a huge swath of children’s books, and much, much more. Beyond the books you’ll find practically every kind of gift imaginable downstairs. Everything from magnets, pens, shirts, bags, cards, puzzles, plates, potholders, dishtowels, stickers, candy, toys, wind chimes, on and on. That’s truly not even the half of it.
Go up a grand staircase in the middle of the shop and you’ll find the bulk of the literary offerings. There are a vast array of titles available upstairs, covering all the genres you’d expect: mystery, fantasy, contemporary and classic lit, graphic novels and manga. The nonfiction is covers biographies, history, entertainment, business, on and on. But what’s most compelling about taking those stairs up into book-shopping heaven is the value. Beneath the wooden beams of the second floor you’ll find long tables and multiple display rows of discounted books, most at least half off, some more, some less, but this section alone sets this store apart from many others. There are books from every corner of the store here, so kids and adults will both want to take a quick look.
This store may be out of the way for most of you, but if you’re planning a Maine vacation and plan to be anywhere in the vicinity, stop into Boothbay, grab a lobster roll, and set aside a solid hour or three to take in this majestic bookstore.
Atmosphere — A welcoming, two-floor bookstore with a grand staircase anchoring the shop in the heart of Boothbay Harbor’s commercial downtown. You’re immediately transported into a much finer, richer bookshop browsing experience than you anticipated.
Quality — The books are pretty much all new, with recent editions of almost anything you’d expect to find in a big-city bookstore.
Quantity — There’s just a ton of books to sift through here, a truly excellent selection.
Diversity — With an obvious focus on regional fare, the shop covers a lot of ground, with more graphic novels and manga than I expected, a swath of literature, and a non-fiction range to rival B&N. And yeah, being Maine, they have three or four Stephen King books, I guess. I hope that sarcasm comes across…
Affordability — Sure, most new books are at new book prices. But the discounts, oh the discounts…
Amenities — Lots of gifts, and a wider variety of them than you’d think. Everything from hats and shirts to bookmarks and book lights, toys and souvenirs, plates and mugs, puzzles and stuffies, just a huge array of things to bring home.
Location — This is the kind of town you hope you find when you trave to Maine. Just beautiful. And I challenge you to blindly throw a baseball in downtown Boothbay and not hit a spot selling you a lobster roll, book, coffee, beer, or tourist swag. But unlike the sweaty, condensed, overcrowded coastal towns like Old Orchard Beach, this place feels relaxed, quaint, well cared for, and clearly caters to locals who care about their town as much as tourists.
Customer Service — Plenty of staff on hand to help here.
Overall — Sherman’s Maine Coast has a great chain of shops but this one is a real gem, just bursting with deals and unique books, gifts, souvenirs, and good vibes. This is the kind of shop you wish your hometown had. Boothbay is lucky to have this one!
