If you are a book lover and looking to get lost in browsing for a few hours this may be the spot to…read morecheck out. While my wife and I did not find anything to buy it was worth checking out. They definitely seem to lean more towards history/war/military and older books. If you are a fan of those types of books you could find a lot of hidden gems I am sure. There is a little bit of a musty smell due to a combination of the old books and lack of airflow in the older building. Also beware space is limited so be ready for for changing directions or getting out of the way if other patrons are nearby. Shelves upon shelves of books with some taped to papers letting you know the section you are in. While it does have some order in this sense at the same time it's chaotic mainly due to crammed space. Can't really speak to value all that much as I did not see the prices for many books and honestly I would not have a good sense of the actual value of the books either. As I said a must visit for book lovers in or visiting Portland to lose yourself while browsing. You can tell a lot of time and effort went into building this collection of books! The one star deduction is solely due to the largest portions of their books are just genres I generally don't have any interest in. I do appreciate it for what it is though and would recommend it.

Yes Books- I stumbled in here one day, and spent an hour looking around. Honestly, it felt more…read morelike five minutes. Everything was so wonderful, I was sad I had to leave. I've been back quite a few times since then and I must say that Yes Books always gets a Yes from me!

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.

First time visit to this used bookstore located on Congress after visiting Uncharted Tea. Which you…read more will even find books from here inside Uncharted as well as some other local spots. Don't mind the scaffolding outside and make your way in to explore if you are close by exploring when they are open. The store goes a lot further back than you would expect and the huge amount of books here means you could spend a long time browsing. Despite the narrow spaces and books being everywhere it is organized well and you will find lots of signs listing the current genre you are looking at. Which speaking of they offer so much I think everyone will find some books that catch your eyes here. Being a used bookstore they did have a good mix of older books while appearing to have more fresh and modern titles available as well. Prices seemed reasonable for the few I looked at. My wife almost bought a couple books but in the end just browsed but would highly recommend coming here for any book lovers. I would even say one of the better used bookshops we have visited! You may just find your next unexpected book you have to read.

Green Hand Bookshop is like the best kind of treasure hunt. I can (and have) spent hours here…read moreperusing the stacks for my next favorite read. It's excellent!

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 mean it's a book store…read more Always end up getting 2 or 3 books. Great selection, staff are always friendly and their recommendations allow for expanding your reading interest.

I think, if you're going to come to a chain bookstore, this should be the place you visit. It's so…read morenew; it's got that new book smell (not really, but... maybe, kinda, sorta?)! 1. So much easy, free parking in their huge shared lot. 2. There's a Starbucks-adjacent cafe. NOTE: it's NOT actually Starbucks though, so you can't order ahead or pay with your app. Just a heads-up! The cafe portion of the bookstore is spacious and clean, with the tables themselves also being spaced quite far apart from one another. It creates a real sense of privacy no matter where you sit! 3. The atmosphere/layout here is very modern and inviting; the selection itself is enormous. Genres are clearly labeled, and there's a tremendous amount of content available no matter what you're looking for (so be prepared to spend some time here wandering around and taking it all in... then you'll probably have to come back, because there's no way you'll actually be able to take it all in on the first visit!). They've got new releases, popular books, recommendations, board games, and more. And, of course, the random armchair for you to sit and peruse your possible purchase. Obviously, support local first. But if you're looking for a slow-paced, wide open, very quiet, very tidy spot to spend a little bit of time (without feeling rushed or forced to purchase something) finding your next favorite read, I'd suggest visiting here!

Sherman's is the series of bookstores in Maine that are the oldest in the state. This happens to be…read morethe newest location of the chain which opened last year in July. It's located in the same plaza as the Shaws. It is a great location and would be a no brainer to be the go to bookstore if we were located closer. My wife could spend hours and hours browsing around this or any bookstore. They do offer more than jus books including puzzles, board games, jewelry, stationary, journals and more. They have all of the variety of genres you would expect and have all of the new releases and classics you'd expect. The different sections are labeled well and the entire space is spread out well enough to never make you feel crowded even if it were busy. Prices are what you'd expect for a bookstore and if you are looking for a deal you can browse their on sale books and maybe find a hidden gem. My wife and I enjoyed browsing this Sherman's and my wife even thinks it is the her favorite of the locations we have visited so far. Great local bookstore to support for those in the Saco & Biddeford area!

Having visited every Sherman's location besides one last location my wife and I know what to…read moreexpect. We revisited the Portland location to browse before a show we were seeing. This location seems to be the most similar to the OG Bar Harbor location. Located on Exchange Street you'll find exactly what you would like and want from an independent book store. Plenty of classic books everyone knows plus all the new and trendy books and everything in between. They keep the store well organized and sections are labeled well including sections with staff picks, Maine themed/authors. Really well thought out layout and besides books you'll also find a random yet great assortment of gifts/items tempting to buy for yourself or others. The only real knock I could mention for this location would be due to the fact the buildings are older space can be limited inside and if busy you may need to go around in some areas to get where you want to go. The staff have always been friendly and helpful during our visits here which is great. A top notch Sherman's location! Worthwhile stop for book lovers and even non-readers for the other things they sell.

This is a fun bookstore with a robust children's toys and trinkets section! A definite must stop…read morespot in Portland!

I was thoroughly impressed by the excellent selection of gifts and good-quality used books. I…read morewalked into the bookstore just to browse, and I ended up leaving with a bag full of souvenirs and used books!

Longfellow Books is in the heart of Portland- within walking distance to a number of my favorite…read moreshops and restaurants. They always have a great selection, and I especially love their bargain section. So many of my favorite books have come from Longfellow's, and I'll forever be thankful to them for that.