Decent mall in Portland, Maine

[elcuchio24]

We just spent a weekend in Portland, Maine, stayed at a fabulous B & B, shopped the waterfront stores on nearby area on Saturday and really enjoyed it. We had a world class dinner on Saturday night. Great restaurant (and wine. ):)On Sunday, we drove to Freeport (about an hour or so away) and had a great time there.

 

LL Bean was busy as were all the stores. There really aren't bargains there but there is lots of variety. The fun of shopping there is the clean, neat, appearance and lots of choice.

 

Maine has a terrible sales tax IMO so we shipped home everything that we could. If you don't have that store in your state, you don't pay the tax and many of the stores shipped for free for articles of some decent amount.

 

5% is horrible?

[jtwitch]

There are a couple of bowling alleys in Brunswick, ME, which is just north of Freeport. If that was really what you wanted, then you can drop your wife in Freeport and keep going to Brunswick.

 

http://www.sparetimebrunswick.com

http://www.bowling-bowl.com

 

The second place is the smaller "candlepin" bowling balls, which I think is more unique to this part of the country. It's kind of a dumpy little alley, but a unique experience. Spare-Time would be a much nicer alley, although it's been a while since I've been there.

 

I agree with other posters about the Maine Mall... it's not much different from any other mall. EXCEPT: There is now a Maine Crafters store--which has a significant collection of handmade, quality craft items: pottery, walking sticks, furniture, clothing, etc. You can find that in the food court. Also, in the mall, kids might enjoy: Summit Adventures (rock climbing, giant hamster balls, etc), glow-in-the-dark mini-golf, a small carousel, or the "train" that gives rides in the mall. However... at the end of the day, the mall is not that much to write home about.

[Jan_In_Maine]

5% is horrible?

 

Because a lot of our economy depends on tourist $$ - 5% doesn't seem bad to me either ... state income tax is worse!:rolleyes:

 

Thank you to all the people from away that pay sales tax to the state --- it helps to keep the roadways semi-repaired and other "stuff" that is enjoyed by everyone living within or away from Maine.

[elcuchio24]

Because a lot of our economy depends on tourist $$ - 5% doesn't seem bad to me either ... state income tax is worse!:rolleyes:

 

Thank you to all the people from away that pay sales tax to the state --- it helps to keep the roadways semi-repaired and other "stuff" that is enjoyed by everyone living within or away from Maine.

 

What's worse is PROPERTY tax!;):( But you're right, Lobster and Tourists is about all we do. 4-5 million vacationers pass through in a summer through a state where the population is just over a million people, so all that money really fuels things. I know the increase in ships coming into Portland these last couple years has been HUGE.