Source: Rock & Art Shop Facebook
Rock & Art Shop
One of Maine’s largest and busiest cities, Bangor is experiencing an ongoing revitalization—morphing from a city known for its success in the lumber and shipbuilding industries to a bustling center of retail commerce, higher education, and business.
But Bangor is also fast becoming a tourist destination in its own right and has plenty to offer travelers of all ilk, whether you’re a seasonal summer resident, weekly renter, or merely stopping by on your way to somewhere else. And where there are folks on vacation, there will be a need for gift shops. Am I right?
Map of Bangor Gift Shops
While Bangor’s streets may have more in common with Boston maps than any other Maine town, this map will help you navigate to souvenirs in no time.
The Not So Empty Nest
Featuring Maine-related, hand-crafted gift items, this cheerful shop is the perfect spot to pick up pretty much anything you’re on the prowl for to bring back home to all your people.
Photography, artwork, jewelry, pottery, salt water taffy—well, too many items to list here. But rest assured—if you’re looking for something that says “Maine” (literally and figuratively), you won’t need to go anywhere else after shopping at The Not So Empty Nest…so why not make it your first AND last stop?
Location: 1209 Broadway, Bangor, ME 04401
Website: The Not So Empty Nest
Rebecca’s Gift Shop
Rebecca’s has been a trusted retailer of locally-crafted Maine blueberry ceramicware since 1985, but this family-owned store has far more than these beautiful, iconic dishes.
Offering an extensive, year-round, Christmas-themed shop as well as expansive Willowtree/Demdaco and Crabtree and Evelyn collections, Rebecca’s is the perfect combination of branded products and one-of-a-kind, Maine-made delights.
Carefully-curated gift baskets are also available and include local, handmade candies and gourmet foods from Stonewall Kitchen. You’ll also find jewelry, candles, vintage furniture and antiques, pottery, stationery, Maine bell buoys, and much more.
Location: 43 Main St #45, Bangor, ME 04401
Website: Rebecca’s Gift Shop
Ingrid’s German Gift Shop
If you have a Germanophile on your gift list, then I’ve got the shop for you.
Ingrid’s expertly vetted, extensive collection of German and European food and gift items can help you curate a unique, bespoke gift basket—and the breathtaking plants and flowers in the greenhouse are gifts in unto themselves. For over three decades, customers have come to rely on Ingrid’s high-quality products—produce, meats, gourmet items, chocolates, pastries, and floral arrangements—for any gift-giving needs.
The owners also host a hugely popular weekly European farmers’ market every Saturday, which I’m told is a not-to-be-missed local event.
Location: 117 Buck St, Bangor, ME 04401
Website: Ingrid’s German Gift Shop
The Rock and Art Shop
This is one of those shops you could circuit three times and still not see everything there is to see—not because of its size, but because of the sheer volume of products and the creative use of space to display it all.
A no-brainer for the fossil- or rock-hound on your list (too many different types of things that end in “-ite” to list here), this shop has far more to offer the non-geology-centric shoppers, as well.
Nature-related prints and artwork, jewelry, books, air plants, baby gifts, household items, and store-curated gift collections are just a few of the things you’ll find at The Rock and Art Shop.
Location: 36 Central St, Bangor, ME 04401
Website: The Rock and Art Shop
Patrick’s Fine Gifts and Accessories
You can always rely on a Hallmark store when you need a gift in a hurry, and Patrick’s does all that and more.
Featuring all the things folks love about Hallmark stores—big brand names like Life is Good, Jellycat, Squishmallow, and Vera Bradley, just to name a scant few—Patrick’s also has plenty of local flavor to love.
Think Stonewall Kitchen, Sea Bags, and a vast collection of art, gifts, and clothing all touting the magic and marvel of Maine. Bonus: you can get all manner of greeting cards, gift bags, tissue, ribbon, and other wrapping needs while you’re there, for last-minute, gift-giving on the go.
Location: 629 Broadway, Bangor, ME 04401
Website: Patrick’s Fine Gifts
The Grasshopper Shop
If you’ve just landed at the Bangor International Airport and realize you forgot to bring a hostess gift for the folks you’re bunking in with for the week, don’t panic.
Head to one of the two locations of the Grasshopper Shop, right in the airport. While I haven’t visited these particular shops yet, I’ve shopped at the Rockland location many times, and it’s one of my favorite stores there.
Rave reviews tell the story, though—and there are plenty of Maine-made and Maine-related gift items to bring to your host in whatever locale you’re flying to…and all manner of travel-centric goods, like neck pillows, eye masks, earplugs, books, magazines, and snacks.
Location: 299 Godfrey Blvd, Bangor, ME 04401
Website: The Grasshopper Shop
Maine Jewelry and Art
A collaboration between three talented Bangor jewelry creators, Maine Jewelry and Art has a truly unique claim to fame: An impressive quantity of their featured handiwork was crafted from the copper that was removed from both the Bangor Public Library and the State House domes when they were redone.
But it isn’t all about the jewelry, here. You’ll find gorgeous paintings, glasswork, stationery, accessories, pottery, sculptures, woodcraft, and far more from other local artisans on display, just waiting for you to pick out for that special someone…or for you.
A gift doesn’t necessarily have to be given away, you see.
Location: 100 Harlow St, Bangor, ME 04401
Website: Maine Jewelry and Art
The Willie Wags
The Willie Wags—which is Maine-speak for “someplace out in the middle of nowhere”—was created by women (utilizing only female artisans and women-run small businesses to stock their shelves) and started its retail journey as an online-only service that would curate bespoke gift boxes for any occasion.
The service was so popular that the creators added a brick-and-mortar shop in Bangor, so that choosy gift-givers could assemble their own collections.
Handmade apothecary items, bath and body goods, kitchen and home décor, clothing, jewelry, greeting cards—one step in this elegant shop, and chances are you’ll quickly find the perfect assemblage of gifts for any occasion.
Location: John R. Graham Building, 78 Harlow St, Bangor, ME 04401
Website: The Willie Wags
One Lupine Maine Yarn & Fiber Supply
Looking for the perfect little something for that talented knitter in your life but don’t have the first clue about knitting?
The helpful, friendly folks at One Lupine can undoubtedly steer you in the right direction, such as the variety of thoughtfully-curated gift items like knitting kits/notions/tools, books, and other fiber-arts-related products—or you can always purchase a gift card, so your recipient can pick out exactly what they need.
Location: 170 Park St, Bangor, ME 04401
Website: One Lupine
The Briar Patch
Nothing can beat a local, independent bookstore when it comes to helpful customer service—and if you’re on the hunt for a particular, offbeat title for someone on your list, the folks at The Briar Patch can help.
They’ve been doing this for over 30 years, you see—so they KNOW books.
The Briar Patch started its journey as a shop for children’s books, games, and toys—and over the years, much like children, the shop grew to include all manner of reading materials and gift items for all ages.
And if you’re looking for a Maine-authored book, you can track it down here.
Location: 27 Central St, Bangor, ME 04401
Website: The Briar Patch
Leave A Comment