The Octopus Bookshop is such a cool little store. I walked out of this place maybe five minutes ago…read moreand I'm so glad we stumbled upon it. I'm in Maine with family (I'm from Los Angeles) and my dad is giving us a bit of a tour around the area. This small shop has so much charm, such a cool theme, and had such a nicely displayed curation of books that I'm actually mad I couldn't fill up a bag and hang out downtown Kennebunk and just hang out, but moving on. This store is beautiful, and even though we didn't interact with any of the staff, they just seemed super friendly. On top of a great selection of books you could also snag some mugs or shirts and I'm also regretting not getting that, but I'll for sure be back in the future, mark my word. Overall, Octopus Bookshop is the perfect little bookstore for a beautiful little town like Kennebunk. It might not be anytime soon, but I'll be sure to check this place out again when I return to Maine.

The Kennebunks are blessed with some nice local bookshops. Octopus is NOT one…read more Try Lupine Books in Kennebunkport at 28 Dock Square or Perkins Cove Bookshop at 12 Perkins Cove Rd in Ogunquit. Both have great local selections and appreciate customers and are NICE. My wife walked many blocks from our car to Octopus Books and had a book in hand that she was interested in buying, when the woman store worker was extremely rude to her. She actually insulted the size of my wife's professionally trained, papered service dog. She was very rude. Needlessly. Life is short and this is a book store with people purposely there to buy books and support local bookstores. To have a clerk treat book buyers disrespectfully is completely unnecessary and unacceptable. We will never cross the threshold of Octopus Books ever again. Shop someplace else.

Small little store, with an area for kids books, a small area for new books, and a small room for…read moreused books. The two older women that run the store aren't the friendliest people around, you feel like you're bothering them as you casually look around. Prices are kind of high, especially on their used books.

This was a small but well-curated bookstore with an assortment of new books and two rooms full of…read moresecondhand books. I was really impressed with the quantity AND quality of the used books-- it seems like they take care with what they choose to sell. I especially liked their mass market romance section-- perfect for the beach!

The second of third Portsmouth book stops for Indie Bookstore Day. This is a spot you could easily…read moreget lost in spending hours searching for that hidden gem/special book. Many older books in really nice condition. In what appears to be a house converted into a literary haven for book lovers, it's a spot that could easily be missed if you aren't directly searching for it! Despite having many older and used books they did honestly have a good selection of newer and popular books too! Compared to many other spots of similar nature I really appreciated the fact they had some newer and popular books in contrast to used books. It's a great way to bring in both those who want the popular and new and those looking to search through the shelves for that hidden gem! Prices seemed reasonable and while we did not interact with the owner nothing negative to say. A spot worth checking out if you find yourself in Portsmouth. One of a few Indie Bookstores you can support here in town!

I went in looking for a James Baldwin novel and an Ursula LeGujn novel and found both, plus a…read morememoir that I wasn't seeking. Not that I'd expect to find exactly what I wanted each time I go here, but this place has a wonderfully curated inventory and the feeling of a flea market too, among the used books. Who knows what you might find, browsing while independent radio plays in the background?

First of many stops for my wife and I on a trip I planned out for her to celebrate Indie Bookstore…read moreDay! Portsmouth allowed us to check out three different independent bookstores all within walking distance. The staff were extremely friendly and welcoming making sure to greet each and every person walking in. They were even running a deal for Indie Bookstore Day where you could roll a dice and win a prize when buying something. My wife ended up getting $5 off her book which was a great prize! Overall the bookstore is on the smaller side but it still is cozy and set up great for the space they have. It did start to get busy when we were finishing up but no biggie really! They had many new and popular reads while also having classics you'd expect. The back of the store is all of the kids books and they even have a little section kids could enjoy reading a book in. Books were reasonably priced, at the typical price you could expect! This is a local bookshop worth supporting and a must stop for book lovers to visit when in Portsmouth!

I will definitely be returning. A cute little book store with friendly, knowledgeable service. The…read moreman working that day (Super Bowl Sunday) was friendly and very helpful. My friend ended up buying several books! This is a reasonably priced bookstore and worth a visit.

My brother and I were spending the day exploring Kittery, York, and Kennebunkport and decided to…read moreswing by Wells on our way back up to Portland to see if anything stuck out to us. We were driving up Route 1 and noticed a few antique shops when we approached Douglas Harding. Since my brother is a fan of bookstores, specifically ones that carry old and rare ones, we decided to stop and check it out. DH sits right on Route 1 in a prime location. It's kind of unassuming from the outside, but once you're inside it gives away to how grand the space actually is. There are rooms and rooms filled with books - I kept walking around thinking I reached the back of the store but it just didn't stop! The shop carries a big selection and is neatly organized by section. There are clear indicators as to what is where, and they keep their rarer finds behind glass cabinets. You can honestly get lost for hours in this place, there are so many shelves to browse, and they have something for virtually everyone - from historical encyclopedia to a tell-all guide to Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch. They also have a side room that is filled with maps of spots all around the world for sale. From what I can gather, a father and daughter own/run the shop - they were both friendly and offered help looking for something if we needed it. Overall, this was a great find in Wells - all the times I had been here I had never thought to stop in and I'm glad we did. It's definitely worth exploring if you're in the area.

Lovely to meet and talk to the owner; he's a bit hard of hearing but happy to talk books. He's…read moremoved fully into a smaller building, so not as many books but still an interesting collection.

I am really appreciative of the diverse selections this (New England) bookstore has to offer…read more I would highly recommend to all.

Great independent bookstore with a wide and eclectic selection of books, a generous kids' section,…read moreand a lovely view of the Squamscott river from a nice reading table in the back. Lots of helpful book recommendations are noted throughout the store. Not to be missed!

This place was super cute! It's basically a library with a bar instead, and I loved the unique…read moreatmosphere. They have a great selection of draft beers along with wine spritzers. The bartender was so nice and personable. She chatted with us, made us feel welcome, and even gave us a few suggestions for other places to check out nearby. And the best part? There was a dog named Luna who was an absolute sweetheart! Such a fun and cozy spot--we'd definitely come back.

Forgot to write the review for this spot on Indie Bookstore Day. All of the places we visited were…read morea great stop but this was the top visit of our day. It's a great spot that has a good amount of books including highly anticipated releases and classics. They were also running a deal if you spent enough you could choose a book from their slightly used books which my wife got to grab a book from and it had some high quality barely used looking books on it! Was a great deal and the staff were all so friendly too. The big plus as you could guess from their name is besides being just a bookstore they also had a bar with a good craft beer tap list. Was a perfect stop for us to grab a beer before continuing our bookstore crawl! We are big fans of the bookstores who integrate of combine other businesses together. Who wouldn't love to grab their next book to read then without needing to leave can sit down and enjoy a beer while starting to read. A spot we will definitely return back to when we find ourselves in Portsmouth!

Love this used book store! Always something I enjoy is buying local and used books. Love to read…read morebut don't need the extra cost of new... highly recommend Annie's Book Store. Staff is outstanding. Knowledgeable and very patient when helping find an author.

Great little hole-in-the-wall store. I usually try to get in there once a month to try to buy…read morelocal. The owners are very knowledgeable about books/authors and what books they have available. If I'm looking for something specific and can't find it there, I usually wait a couple weeks and can usually find it there. (In some instances, I've found it on thriftbooks.com). But definitely an awesome story run by amazing people. Every time I go there, I can always find something that suits me. Would certainly advise people to at least check it out if they are in the area. You really can't find places like this anymore.