Have you ever been antiquing in Down East Maine? Check out these must-see antique stores and fantastic treasures we found while antiquing “Down East” this summer.
Where is Down East Maine?
“Down East”, also “Downeast”, is a term for parts of eastern coastal New England and Canada, particularly the U.S. state of Maine and Canada’s Maritime Provinces, an area that closely corresponds to the historical French territory of Acadia. The phrase apparently derives from sailing terminology: sailors from western ports sailed downwind toward the east to reach the area. Source: Wikipedia
A Jaunt to Down East Maine
This trip up to Down East Maine, in my case started with a visit to my friend, Molly in Maine’s gorgeous coastal cottage where we gathered along side a few Instagram decor friends for lunch and chatted on Molly’s front porch with her stunning ocean views.
You may also enjoy following Juliette from Cozy in Maine and Marianna from Apple Tree Lane Studio over on Instagram who joined us. Juliette and Marianna are identical twins who live on Long Island, an island off the coast of Portland, Maine in their family’s darling summer cottage.
Before the antique stores open in the morning though, L.L. Bean is always a must when in this area, open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
There I picked up some classic flannel pajamas, cozy for our winters in Vermont.
And have you seen the Sarah Fitz line of sheets, The Coziest Ski Lodge Bedding?
As I worked my way back to the “Seacoast”, a term coined for the coast of southern Maine and New Hampshire, I stopped off at 4 antique shops where I found just the most fantastic finds.
So let’s go antiquing!
3 Best Antique Stores in Freeport, Maine
I stopped at three of the most popular antique stores in Freeport first.
1. Pillars Antiques | Although I didn’t buy anything at this antique shop, this store was filled with beautiful vintage pine furniture and eclectic gardening pieces. Large and bold antiques that would fill any old New England home beautifully.
2. Freeport Emporium Antiques | This two-floor antique shop offers up a multitude of vendors with reasonable prices and a wide assortment of thrifty, vintage, and antique finds.
3. And right next door was the Maine Wicked Goods Mercantile. A shop with a combination of antiques, vintage, collectibles, and new gift shop wares. Super cute items with a coastal cottage type of theme. Definitely worth the walk around.
But my favorite of them all was:
Cabot Mill Antiques in Brunswick, Maine
Just down the road from Bowdoin College is a gorgeous old brick mill filled with the most inspiring antiques I’ve seen in quite some time.
My favorite find of the day was this antique tennis umpire chair. I’ve never ever seen one before, and I feel so lucky to have discovered it.
This old mahogany tennis umpire chair was ushered into our home as if it had always been here. My father would have loved this tennis collectible so much!!
You may also enjoy the post, Small Cottage Guest Bedroom, Vintage and Delightful.
You see, my father played tennis until he was 86 years old and you can see his tennis racquet collection and more in this post.
This was one of the best antique halls I’ve had this summer, friends!
Oh, and of course, I had to stop to pick up some blue hydrangeas and more from Trader Joe’s in Portland, Maine…
What can you find antiquing Down East?
Well first, how about an antique wrought iron whale weathervane?
And I just love how it sits so noble on our dining room table, for now that it is…
You won’t want to miss our summer home tour in the post, Coastal Grandmother Summer Decor “In My Mother’s Home”!
An old lighthouse painting with an antique easel.
I think this is going to find its way into every room of our home here in Coastal Maine.
You may also enjoy Leaning into Grandmillennial Style with these Fabulous Drapes.
A vintage sailboat pully in light blue.
This little nautical beauty will rest on our living room coffee table. And maybe I’ll hang it from one of the open beams next. We shall see…
A handsome transferware bowl that I found for less than $40.
I couldn’t wait to fill it up with some of the Trader Joe’s flowers I found.
Join me every third Thursday of the month here on the blog too for “Thrifting with the Gals” where we share all our monthly vintage and thrifty inspiration from around the country.
See that sailboat painting in the background?
Yup, I found that antiquing Down East too for just $38!
You may also enjoy the post, Beachcombing, Blue Mussels, and an Antique Bowl.
I’ve never seen a pot like this before. I’m thinking it’s a chamber pot and I just love the size of it. Perfect for bouquets of flowers or summer weeds.
Here is the marking on the bottom of the transferware. Any ideas what this may have been used for?
A few more gems that caught my eye, but for whatever reason I decided to leave behind.
So, should you ever find yourself in the area of Down East Maine, I highly recommend an antiquing trip!
You never know the treasures you may find on this beautiful rocky coast of ours.
I’m so glad you dropped by today and if you are new to my blog, welcome! I hope you were totally inspired!
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You bring so much enjoyment with your first class newsletter and blog posts. A very hearty Thank You! Lana in KY.
Oh my gosh what a nice thing to say thank you🫶🏻
Some wonderful finds! I particularly like the tennis umpire’s chair and the gorgeous Buffalo Pottery cache pot, which I believe is used as an “over pot” in which to place a live plant in a less attractive container. I enjoyed the explanation of the term “Down East.”
Thank you so much. That umpire chair was such a treasure to find. And I’m so glad to know about the pot. Thank you kindly💙💙💙
You found all the antique places I’ve been visiting for years in Mid-Coast Maine!! The best of the best.
Oh my goodness aren’t they so great😂
I would love to spend one week going to all the wonderful shops you’ve shared with us. So fun that you got to spend some quality time with Molly!