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| Photos by Salt Water New England |
I timed my visit yesterday to L.L. Bean in Freeport to avoid crowds and enjoy bright sunshine, and was successful on both fronts.
L.L. Bean’s presence is felt everywhere in Freeport. But one does get the feeling that the Freeport Historical Society also wields a mighty sword. The prime real estate that their base of operations occupies is a bit of a power play. And many of the buildings on Main Street have the juxtaposition of being beautifully restored, yet housing utterly soulless companies. And Freeport boasts the most tasteful McDonalds, perhaps anywhere.
As you may know, if you order a Boat and Tote and it is shipped from a one of their stores rather than from their warehouse, you are not able to monogram it. However, if you paid for the tote using the L.L. Bean Mastercard, you can at any time bring it into their flagship store and get it monogrammed for free. (As long as the bag is in good condition.) I have even heard, yet to be confirmed, that the monogramming machines there are superior to the ones at the warehouse.
So I brought in my new bags sans monograms. They were unfazed by my pile, and per usual, they had a seamless system in place to swiftly process my request. As always, the L.L. Bean employees are outstanding.
What are your thoughts on Freeport's evolution over the years, and do you plan to do any shopping there this holiday season?
Love Freeport , LL Bean and the Harraseeket Inn
ReplyDeleteSouth Freeport is one of the most charming villages on the eastern seaboard
ReplyDeleteMore like a charming outlet mall.
ReplyDeleteHitting the LL Bean flagship store at 2am on the way up to Stonington to catch the 7am ferry (either the Mink or Mink II captained by "Buster") to Isle au haut back in the early 80's and even into the 90's was always a must. But, we rarely visit the flagship store anymore when in Freeport. A better option is the LL Bean "outlet" down the street. As you say, the town is now filled with soulless corporate outlets.
ReplyDeletelooks charming to me
ReplyDeleteFree coffee ! ? That's not Australia . They wouldn't give you anything here , and there'd be over priced shipping charges regardless of purchase too .
ReplyDeleteCharles has the right idea…
ReplyDeleteSo many happy memories of sparkle weekends as a child. I look forward to visiting the Haraseeket and all Freeport has to offer again soon.
We were there yesterday. I myself only stop there every couple of years and the multitude of different clothing/shoe/gear stores plus the expansion of Bean's into multiple locations is overwhelming... which makes me pine for the old second story walk-up location of my youth. Good tip about the monogramming. Much of our family Christmas shopping is paid for by annually accumulated 'Bean bucks'.
ReplyDeleteIMO the best opportunity for holiday shopping in Freeport is the Freeport Fall Festival held each year on the first weekend in October, which nicely coincides with homecoming at Bates College. Many local artisans and vendors with really nice and unique offerings, we can find great gifts for those on our list. As you know, the outlets are like any other outlet mall...mostly filled with soulless junk, with few exceptions.
ReplyDeletespot on. I could not agree more!
DeleteThere are really two Freeports. If you go even 1/2-mile towards the water from LL Bean, you find yourself in one of the most magical stretches of the Maine Coast. This is what I mean by South Freeport above, as that is what it is called - worth a drive - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harraseeket_Historic_District - have lunch at the Harraseeket Lunch and Lobster
ReplyDeleteWe love L.L. Bean for many reasons, but one important reason is that they shop local. They attend the New England Made wholesale show in Portland to buy from small producers in Maine. You can find these brands in their home store and occasionally in their catalogs. Also the bubble head fish tank - lol.
ReplyDeleteI grew up in the mid-Atlantic during the 1970s and 1980s, and the LL Bean catalog was a fixture at our house...and probably the source of about half of my clothes. There was always one sitting in the basket in the living room, along with old copies of Time, National Geographic, and the TV Guide. Every so often, my mother would announce that she was putting an order in, and check to see who needed what. At that time, "putting an order in" meant tearing out the form in the middle of the catalog, filling it out and adding up the total, writing a check (!) and mailing the whole thing away. A few weeks later, things would arrive.
ReplyDeleteWe had some friends who lived in Vermont, and others who lived in Maine. Sometimes when we'd visit, we'd stop by the store in Freeport. I haven't been in about 40 years, so after reading Muffy's post, I took a tour via Google Street View. Of course, I don't recognize the place; it looks like one of those outdoor malls that seem to be the latest thing. I guess it makes sense from a commercial perspective, but it all looks kind of contrived.
We all know that Bean isn't what it used to be; speaking for myself, I don't order anything from them anymore. But I suppose it's a fond memory that we can't recapture...like, I don't know, Camelot or Brigadoon. Maybe that's enough; at the end of the day, maybe we just remember what we had, and then move along.
-Mike
Earlier this afternoon I began plotting a drive up during the week between Xmas and New Years to the Farnsworth Art Museum, and have of course included a jaunt to Freeport. A trip to Maine wouldn't be complete without a stop at LL Bean
ReplyDeleteI was in Freeport in the early '90s and thought it was a themed outlet mall then; looks even worse now. Bean no longer sells the most of the things I liked the best from their stores, and the quality has dropped substantially since my childhood and teen years. I still order from them a few times a year, but I sure miss the Bean of the late '70s and '80s.
ReplyDeleteNice, wish I could visit.
ReplyDeleteI will absolutely continue patronizing (and I suppose otherwise supporting) LLBean. SWNE conversations tend to focus all that LLB fails to do instead of seeing that they’ve become a mass market keeper of the flame (not bad for a Maine shop premised on capitalizing on naive hunters from NYC and Bosto. They’re still making many great products, many uniquely their own. Just this fall, bought multiple base layers, the 1982 jackets sweaters, pajamas, other jackets and vests, and a new croquet bag for carrying squash gear. Put LLBean’s record up against all the other failed, changed institutions that have landed us where we are today. Do that and then say “thanks, LL Bean.”
ReplyDeleteAgreed!! Bean is also the gateway for many to preppy who were not raised with it.
DeleteEven after all these years, it still has a very special feel to us, whenever we go there. Truly a perfect place to be! Thank you! Cheers!
ReplyDeleteI haven’t been to Beans in years. I do remember the very tall wooden staircase that as a child seemed daunting. The smell of fresh leather from the bean boot section was unique and before all the man made fibers held court, the real wool three button placket Fair Isle sweaters reigned supreme. Skyr turtlenecks could be purchased, the kind that had enough elastic to stand tall and warm your neck while skiing through glades of fresh fallen snow.
ReplyDeleteYes, they have gotten commercial, I use their credit card and love accruing bean bucks so I can buy a fresh pair of canvas field pants and few other essentials now and then.
There are several LL Bean stores in Massachusetts now that we don’t have to pay sales tax for clothing. That being said it was always a fun trip to Freeport and lunch at the Muddy Rudder.
ReplyDelete