I walked into Beach Grass thinking it was just another tourist gift shop in Kennebunkport. This…read moreplace was way cooler. It had a great array of fantastic gifts and beach decor for your home. Like things I actually wanted to buy! None of the stupid tourist crap with MAINE written all over it. The staff was also really friendly. They greeted everyone who came in, asked if they could help, and thanked everyone walking out the door whether they bought something or not. The place was full of beach and new england inspired goods that were attractive and funky. Books about lobster, books about new england, retro sand pails, lamps made out of shells, flip flop coasters, starfish, paintings, weathered wood clocks. I highly recommend stopping in, and getting a REAL souvenir to bring back home. And if you're are one of the lucky few who live near the ocean, def come pick out some beach inspired decor for your house.

LOVE THIS STORE!! Prices are reasonable…read more Staff is helpful and friendly. They have great gifts. Large variety and excellent selection.

I've visited and bought from Van Ward gallery for years now. It's a very small gallery,…read moreunprepossessing, at the back of a restaurant in Ogunquit, but Chris (the owner) has got some gems in there! It's worth the time and effort to peruse its offerings and flip through the stacks of paintings - you never know what you'll uncover! Chris represents primarily local artists in the Maine/Mass/NH area and has a unique collection and taste. I've obtained some of my favorite paintings from his shop. No pretensions and no pressure to buy; Chris is also very happy to discuss the backgrounds and styles of the artists - and once he gets to know you, also willing to give favored pricing, discounts, or deals. I don't buy every time I visit, but Van Ward's been a favorite and de rigueur stop on our annual Maine vacations.

I visited today for the first time. I was greeted warmly by the owner and I spent the next two…read morehours in needlepoint heaven. The store was full of gorgeous canvases many of which are designed by the owner and stitch painted. They are breathtaking. There are several rooms plus one whole room devoted just to threads. The owner, Mary Jo, was a wealth of needlepoint knowledge and eager to share. I chose a beautiful Maine inspired belt designed by Mary Jo. It is the perfect souvenir of a trip to Maine. Although I live 3 hours away I will return often to shop here and also call and have things sent to me. I left still drooling over all the canvases that are available only here.

On the recommendation of my local needlepoint shop, I contacted this shop about finishing two…read moreneedlepoint Christmas ornaments. I made a phone call to the shop and offered to take photos and email them to get an idea of cost but was turned down. I was told to send my canvases UPS to the shop which I did. A few days later I received a phone call and we discussed the finishing. Then I was told the cost would be a $168 for the simpler of the two ornaments . I said "no thanks" and was charged $20 to return my small canvases. I have had similar ornaments finished for $40. This may be a lovely brick and mortar store but their finishing costs are staggering.

Years ago I was in Portland and ended up at this shop. I…read morebought a hand made pottery baby gull. I have always wanted another one and I was so excited to see they still had the artist!

Its nuts how The Whimsy Shop has been a staple in my memory of Kennebunkport from the early 90s yet…read moreit has so little Yelp reviews. I guess the typical shopper here doesn't actively use Yelp - but still! Anyway, I'm here to add to the review hat - as we were walking though Kennebunkport and stopped in on a...whim. Businesses come and go in Dock Square - some are new, others have been here since I first went to Maine as a child. The Whimsy Shop is on the latter end of that spectrum, and was always known for carrying more upscale gifts compared to a typical touristy souvenir shop. My brothers and I were looking for a gift to bring back to our parents from Maine, and thought this would be a good place to check out. The majority of their selection is home decor - there are a lot of porcelain products as well as a few housewares. They have pretty stuff, and even though it's a small store you can spend a good amount of time browsing. We ultimately decided to go with a hand-painted ceramic snowman to go with our parents' many other snowpeople they display during the holidays - it was intricately painted an truly a unique item. Service was friendly, they packed the item with care and even gave us information about the artist to take home. Overall, I had a great experience rediscovering the Whimsy Shop and would recommend it as a stop during your Kennebunkport explorations.

This is a family run business and the son is very unfriendly (to put it politely). I went in there…read moreto find something for my 15 year old son. I picked up an item and asked the salesman if it was a replica (not seeing the price). He GRABBED it out of my hand and actual words from his mouth were "if it was, I wouldn't let you hold it, girlie". Exact words he said. I'm a 45 year old woman. My husband was appalled and we left. I would NEVER buy anything from here ever.

Weird I had a decent shopping experience in Maine. Jon…read morespent about 15-25 minutes going over mostly NHL oriented items as well as 1980 and 2026 USA gold medal items... we had a range of $3000 to $120 items and were putting together a package. I contemplated buying items to take with me back to my second *summer home in VT vs sending gifts to some friends on the east coast. Jon said east coast shipping is very fast and for them - they would include cost in the deal since I was planing on spending well into four figures. He scolled his cell number and I meant to stop by the shop as I left town 2 days later, but figured I could text him and do the deal remotely. He texted back a ? and I thought I need to be more clear. And so I texted him back. No reply. 2 hours later I sent another text adding more information. Nothing. Ghosting. I decided to try again today in the late morning. Now 2 hours later - confirmation I had the right number. Problem was I since wanted to track down an alternative number and came across a bunch of really strange negative reviews - none here I saw but on Google peole as recently as Fathers Day (3 weeks ago) were saying they were told to ship and to trust them (like was sold to me) and this one person said her dad never got the gift on time despite having 2 weeks advance purchase. Thus my big gift which was a Bobby Orr signed jersey - not cheap - was deflated because I cannot unsee these reviews. A guy a year ago complained he did not get something for over a month and was ghosted. The ghosting concerns me because if Jon did this without have my $, I can only imagine how frustrating it would be. I will go on ebay.

We visited a number of galleries in the area and found this one to be among the best. I…read moreparticularly enjoyed the paintings by Dennis Poierer, Ingunn Milla Joorgensen and David Whitlock.

Cute gallery! The art inside is of all types. Prices seem reasonable for a tourist area…read more There is also an amazing porch upstairs which you've got to see. If you find yourself in cape porpoise, you should check out the Wright Gallery. I'd post images but most artists think taking pictures of their work is Gauche.

The museum was alright, wish there was more regarding shipbuilding. I found some of the staff…read morecondescending bordering on rude when I accidentally entered the archive area because the door was left open. Didn't appreciate the snide remarks when I was lost due to their confusing "You are here" maps.

The staff at the Brickstore Museum helped us plan and set up our rehearsal dinner and wedding in…read morethe Dane Street Program Center Courtyard. The space was beautiful and everything ran as planned. We had the best day and it was both affordable and easy. Photos by Sydney Bilodeau Photography.

Nice shop, little tricky to find. It's on the second floor of the building, above the Subway…read moreRestaurant. Nice assortment of collectibles, cards, records, and some rare comics. Very friendly staff.