I will quote another review: "Enter at own risk!". Yes but of falling in love with this place. I was visiting town from Berlin and I noticed all the record stores and second hand stores on the main street, and they all kinda look the same. Then I saw this place and in two words, packed all the magic needed. This is the town where Stephen King was born, I gotta get me some Strange Maine! Brendan who I had the pleasure to chat with, is not playing a part he's a genuine music lover, with an extensive knowledge of any genre, a big heart and offers you an extensive collection of records you won't find anywhere else. Before the internet was a thing there were places like this and sure you could probably find a lot of these things on Ebay but what you won't find is the guidance to understand which things are going to show you the rainbow of oddities that is American pop culture. Let your guard down and let him be your guide. read more

This place has some cool stuff in it for sure. I picked up a VHS pack of Star Trek Data-centric episodes that had a cool cover. Lots of cool stuff, definite retro atmosphere. Worth checking out if you're into records, dvds/blu/vhs, tapes, and all other shit like that. read more

Strange Maine - Vinyl Records Near Me - Portland, Maine

This place is amazing has everything thing I needed at a good price definitely worth going to!

The manager consistently gives me good prices when accepting used records. Honest and fair.

Lovely little hole in the wall business; great selection of items, vinyls, games, books, comics, etc, all at decent prices.

Certainly not a place I would likely frequent again. While the records, cd, vhs, dvd's, and video games are in searchable order..... it's like a hoarders dream in here in regards to all of the other random items (crap) within. The amount of cobwebs and dust was also a bit shocking for any establishment on this busy street. Lastly, this store has a pungent moldy-mildew smell. Overall, prices were about the same as all of the other record shops on Congress Street. ....which surprised me. This place certainly stands by its name.... "STRANGE" ! In regard to the sign about "having some work done," I saw no signs of renovations. My final parting words.... "Enter at own risk!" read more

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Love this place, this is the sort of a place that i wish there were more of, that still existed. m can get records, casettes, CD's, VHS, DVD and blurays. The people that work here are knowledgeable and great to talk to about anything and everything. Great turn over on all the records and what not. There is place down the street that doesn't really even hold a candle to this place. read more

Strange Maine - Vinyl Records Near Me - Portland, Maine

Certainly a large selection of VHS / CDs / Vinyl and some vintage video games. Prices are about what you'd pay on Discogs / eBay Had a lot of good VHS titles, but nothing I was willing to shill out a lot of money for. 3 star rating because I emailed them about bringing in some items beforehand and never got a response. read more

The best store in the world Always something nice to find in the labyrinth which is strange Maine People are nice in their and great music read more

This place is ridiculous. Ridiculously ridiculous, even. It's small, usually smells like incense but sometimes like someone didn't shower. The music being played can be questionable, but who am I to judge the next great symphony busted out via a trashcan and some feedback? The vhs selection is prime and my boyfriend always leaves with at least once video to add to his "bad" movie collection. There's a good amount of dvd's, and the record selection is moderate with low to mid-range prices. The staff have always been pleasant and I don't think there's any official way they keep track of their merchandise, but half the fun is looking through to see what's in store. read more

In terms of size-to-awesomeness ratio, this place ranks among the best. The store is a shoebox (almost literally), but it packs aweome kitsch in like nobody's business. Movies, music, toys, sure, but my favorite part is the nice little video game corner where I've made a couple of good finds for my favorite 8-bit systems. My wife also found a book on proper child-raising from the 1940s with tons of hilariously outdated notions, and it cost all of a buck. The clerks have always been cool to chat with, and the prices are very reasonable. If you're in the neighborhood, visitation is mandatory. read more

This place is EXACTLY what you'd expect. As much awesome, random stuff packed into what is basically a shoebox of a store. It's almost overwhelming how many things there are to look at -- not only in the music/video/book selections, but on the walls, on the ceiling, and tucked into every corner. Definitely worth a visit. read more

Strange Maine - Vinyl Records Near Me - Portland, Maine

Lots of cool and unique items in this shop. I was here primarily to browse through some records, but took note of all the other nerdy items for sale (CDs, movies, shows, shirts, action figures, etc). Anyway, the record collection was not bad. Lots of "under the radar" artists and albums and some that were more well-known. Unfortunately the records are not in a plastic sleeve so the record sleeves tend to get a little worn through all that flipping. But prices were very fair and I found a few gems to add to my collection. I would definitely stop in again were I in the area. read more

Probably my favorite record store of all time. I always find a few gems. Chill owner, I think it may be a cash only shop. They also carry old video games. Right next to Otto pizza, so why not grab a slice afterwards. read more

Fun place to poke around. Lots of vinyl & old school VHS. Some old video games. Worth checking out. read more

Strange Maine - Vinyl Records Near Me - Portland, Maine

This place is full of surprises! LPs, books, videos, odds and ends galore! A bit cramped but you are sure to find something "strange" and delightful to pick up. read more

Picture a giant yard sale from a kitschy culture collector. That's what Strange Maine is, with its colorful explosion of all sorts of amusements inside. One could also liken it to a teenager's room, or a historical art piece on what American entertainment consumers were fascinated with in the past few decades. Essentially, a room of nostalgia. The primary article that is being sold is vinyl. There's a decent selection of name artists, but going there for genres (and an open mind) would probably serve the buyer well. I did notice a dollar bin in the corner by the window, but given that much of the material that is considered dollar-worthy in other mediums (CDs, etc), one will be lucky to find too many gems there. Take a chance, I guess. The prices on the vinyl seemed quite reasonable no matter what is found. Along with the vinyl, one can find a lot of cassettes, 8 tracks, VHS tapes, laser discs, DVDs, books, figurines, old video games, older video games, and my favorite: complete old video game systems. I haven't stared at a 'Complete Atari 2600 for $40' paper bag ever, yet the other day it was the first time I sorta contemplated going way back to play some "Pitfall". How easy it would have been to buy the system, scoop up 5-10 Atari games (they have 'em), and then contemplate acquiring music and art from the 1980s period to complete the flashback? Could've gone all out, but as it goes ... I went there mainly to see what kind of CDs they had and they were a downer to look at. Not much in terms of consistency or choice, and the sections they primarily focused on (noise and local music) wasn't what I was interested in. The dollar CD section was just a random assortment of oddities. The CD experience just left me thinking the obvious in that Strange Maine is musically a vinyl destination if anything. Strange Maine is certainly worth visiting by anyone regardless of what they're in town for. The decor is worth peeking into and sorting out, and depending on how far back in time you go, you'll likely dust up some memories. However, if you're looking for something in particular (especially with music) then this is not the place to go. Strange Maine is better browsed when you're not looking for anything particular and prefer to be surprised. read more

My favorite shop in Maine. It is an almost perfect replica of what I imagine the inside of my brain looks like.

I have not been here in ten years, so please tell me this place is the same as ten years ago! Because I will always remember it as a little hole in the wall with classic 60s and 70s rock records, old school snes games and all sorts of strange (but nice) local concerts and other random items, usually with a dozen people at most. Please stay the same, strange Maine! read more

Was driving though this town and saw this shop. I collect vinyl so I'd been going into every record shop I could. They were playing a Hank Williams record that sounded really awesome so I asked to buy it. They refused to sell it to me because they wanted to listen to it... Really weird. It's a store guys. I thought part of the point of playing a record in a record store was that someone would like it and want it. Jeez. read more

Strange Maine is a really neat store. Its at the end of Forest Ave and Congress street and its easy to find. They have a little bit of everything and they have quite a bit of vinyl. Its also reasonably priced. Every time I'm in Portland, I try to stop there. read more

Very cool record store. Great selection of VHS and Laserdiscs as well as some vintage games. Love this place!

Eclectic selection of records, VHS ,DVD, and a cool selection of video games and systems. Games are in good condition and if they aren't they are priced fairly. Game systems are cleaned and tested. Staff is always friendly. Fun little shop I always look forward to visiting. read more

If only this place were open till midnight! (Gee I don't ask much, do I?) ... Got to be the best selection of vinyl north of RRR (I'm looking at YOU, Pure Pop). Go in here and you're pretty much guaranteed to find something completely nutball. And for CHEAP! read more

Tries to be avantguarde, but feels more like lots of garbage. I don't pretend to be an expert on the unknown but his selection seemed kind of poor and overpriced in some cases. Maybe future visits will reveal some gems but my first was lacklustre. Also the owner/employee was skipping tracks every 30 seconds which made the experience that much more annoying. read more

Good place to buy records. I found a good copy of Franki Vally here. I like records because they remind me of the old days, when you could get a Coke for a quarter and LBJ was still VP. I just put the records on my hifi and they work, like good classic Americans. Strange Maine has the records . Bill B. read more

Interesting store. It reminded me of my local vinyl record store (Mystery Train). Lots and lots of records. I really liked the quirky artwork hanging for sale on the walls. It was inexpensive and cool, although it looked like a child drew it (perhaps that was the point). They had a great book section. The place was cramped, and everything seemed old (which it is- I doubt they trade in anything truly new aside from the artwork). They were playing something actually made my ears hurt and sounded like wild animals screaming. I would have browsed longer but the music was a huge turn off. My friend almost bought a few things, but we're not into vinyl and old VHS tapes and didn't want to add more clutter to our home. read more

quality selection of albums, scifi and paranormal books, old horror vhs collection. Not the stuff you would just find anywhere else, I like that. I'm really really happy with what I bought! read more

One of the most unique shops in Portland. I always make a point to stop in here when I'm down from home. Walls of vinyl, comics, video games for your nostalgic consoles, books, tapes, VHS, buttons, art...easily in my top five shops. The staff is so helpful and friendly. Don't forget to pick up a copy of Preacher's Fire for a calendar of shows in the area! read more

The world needs more shops like Strange Maine. Always fun to stick your head in and find neat stuff.

Records, books, vhs tapes and dvds, comic books, vintage video games, cds and tapes. Chill place to be.

Excellent store for buying vintage recordings of music and books. I've found a 70's LP of Larry Coryell with 11th House here which is really rare. I have found some really rare Coltrane, Davis type jazz vinyl here. Truly a treasure for the musical avant gardist. The books are also excellent just like you found an underground library but you just have to pay for the literature but really a reasonable price. I never found an "Adele" album, I don't care for that non-musical crap. I go here when I can because I live close. read more

I agree with the previous reviewer about this shop's ridiculousness, but the books and DVDs were an interesting (and very well-priced) mix. I'd stop in again, just to see what's new in. read more

This place is small but packed with loads of cool stuff. Records, casettes, vhs tapes, vintage video games. Everything is very well priced as well! Absolutely love this place. read more

We stumbled upon this store while walking through Portland and it is quite unique. They have a limited but eclectic selection of books, cds, records, etc and the staff was very friendly. Definitely worth a stop to see what you can find, it's a fun little shop. read more

It was such a pleasant experience to shop some old vinyl collections. Very friendly service and the price was wonderful. Strongly recommand to anybody and I will surely come back whenever I visit this area. read more