Best Gift Shops in Camden

Source: The Smiling Cow Facebook
The Smiling Cow

If you can’t find what you’re looking for in Camden, you’re doing it wrong—because there is a shop for every interest, need, and whim tucked in and around the town’s waterfront and village district.

Enjoy the thrill of the retail hunt as you make your way from shop to shop, viewing everything on offer here: Made-in-Maine gifts, local art, kitschy knickknacks, homemade treats, and everything in between—it’s out there, and you just have to find it. Challenge accepted!

Map of Camden Gift Shops

This map has all of the Camden gift shops in this article, so you can have a day on the town in Camden:

Glendarragh Farm Lavender Store

The products sourced from this all-natural “fragrance farm” are a true odyssey of the senses.

Synthetic-free body butters, oils, and balms, items for house and home, and a wide variety of pre-packaged gift baskets are just a few of the amazing, farm-made gift ideas you’ll find at Glendarragh.

In addition to the farm’s own natural product line, you’ll discover a thoughtfully- curated collection of European imports like Irish woolens, French pottery, and Italian soaps.

Location: 22 Main St, Camden, ME 04843
Website: Glendarragh Farm Lavender

The Smiling Cow

“A Camden tradition since 1940,” the name of this shop is adorable enough on its own to attract customers.

This seasonal, family-owned favorite is a busy spot come summertime and features plenty of Maine- and Camden-centric items like hats, clothing, and mugs—perfect for gifting to the neighbor that watered your flower boxes while you were off vacationing.

You’ll also find games, puzzles, gift sets, books, stuffed animals, and totes—something for everyone on your list.

Location: 41 Main St, Camden, ME 04843
Website: The Smiling Cow

Sugar Tools

Attractive, practical, and unique items abound in this bright, seasonal shop.

Candles, books, apparel, pottery, home & garden items, and many more delightful gift ideas adorn every available surface at Sugar Tools; this carefully curated collection is constantly changing as the shopkeepers find exciting new wonders to offer, so you never know what you’ll find on display here.

Location: 29 Bay View St, Camden, ME 04843
Website: Sugar Tools

Once a Tree

Open year-round, Once a Tree has been in business since 1983. Most of the bespoke collection here is handcrafted in Maine, although there are some thoughtfully-selected, high-quality products from around the globe.

Useful and gorgeous items handmade from all manner of materials—wood, stone, metal, glass, clay—await your wondering eyes, and there is even a gift registry service.

Location: 31 Main St, Camden, ME 04843
Website: Once a Tree

Uncle Willy’s Candy Shoppe

If you have a sweet tooth—or are looking to track down a gift for someone else that does—head straight to Uncle Willy’s…and prepare to lose all restraint and self-control.

Whether your weakness is homemade fudge, hard candy, chocolate, or novelty sweets, the heady smell of scrumptiousness alone will be enough to send you into a buying frenzy. One pound as a gift, one pound for me…

Location: 57 Bay View St, Camden, ME 04843
Website: Uncle Willy’s Candy Shoppe

Owl & Turtle Bookshop Café

This independent book store and café has been providing discerning bibliophiles a carefully-selected, always-expanding collection of titles since 1970.

Whether you’re on the hunt for a cookbook for Grandma, a picture book for your toddler niece, or the latest Stephen King novel for yourself, you’ll find it here—and you can enjoy a cup of locally-roasted coffee from Coffee on the Porch when you’re done shopping.

Location: 33 Bay View St, Camden, ME 04843
Website: Owl & Turtle Bookshop Café

Topo Gallery & Goods

Topo’s exquisite collection of artist-made stationery, prints, and other gift-worthy items are available for purchase directly from this gallery-like shop or at their online store—but I suggest visiting the former to fully appreciate the handcrafted beauty of these goods.

One of the owner’s goals is to provide “a platform for young and emerging creators from New England,” which is a worthy endeavor, indeed—one that shoppers can only benefit from if they’re looking for unique, handmade gifts.

Location: 6 Bay View St, Camden, ME 04843
Website: Topo Gallery & Goods

Sea Bags

A familiar and trusted Maine brand, Sea Bags makes their popular tote products from recovered/recycled sail fabric. The Camden location features plenty of the signature and vintage Insignia tote lines, as well as new designs, apparel, home goods, jewelry, and more.

You can even design your own tote if you can’t find the perfect image for your gift recipient—but there are so many collections to choose from, I can’t imagine that would be the case.

Location: 6 Main St, Camden, ME 04843
Website: Sea Bags

Lily, Lupine & Fern

If you’re looking for a made-to-order, high-quality gift idea that really stands out, consider a curated basket of wine, truffles, cheese, and/or fresh flowers from Lily, Lupine, & Fern.

Just tell these helpful, creative folks what your budget is and they’ll pull together the perfect gift set, customized to your specifications and beautifully packaged—they’ll even deliver to nearby towns.

I mean, really—wine, chocolate, cheese, and flowers? What’s not to love?

Location: 11 Main St, Camden, ME 04843
Website: Lily, Lupine & Fern

Antiques at 10 Mechanic

Featuring 20 local vendors offering a wide variety of both new and used goods (think antique and mid-century modern furniture, vintage apparel, one-of-a-kind jewelry, and unique décor), Antiques at 10 Mechanic offers friendly service and a fantastic selection—a winning combination, in my book.

You never know what you’ll discover here—it’s like a treasure hunt where you don’t know what you’re looking for until you lay eyes on it.

Location: 10 Mechanic St, Camden, ME 04843
Website: Antiques at 10 Mechanic

Conklin’s Mercantile

Proudly selling only American-made products for the home, Conklin’s has the feel of an authentic, vintage mercantile. Everywhere you look are beautiful, handcrafted gift items, such as pewter lamps/utensils, wooden bowls/boards, hand-painted towels and linens, colorful glassware, and nautical décor.

You also have the option to shop on their website, and curbside pickup is available.

Location: 26 Main St, Camden, ME 04843
Website: Conklin’s Mercantile

The Leather Bench

Family-owned and -run since 1971, the owners of The Leather Bench make many of their high-quality leather products by hand—handbags, backpacks, moccasins, aprons, and wallets, to name a few.

They also have excellent working relationships with several other longtime leatherwork brands, allowing a larger inventory of leather goods.

The shop is open all year long, and if you’re looking for anything at all crafted from cowhide, this is the place to go—because, as the shop owners have been quoted as saying, they’ve “got everything from soup to nuts in leather.”

Location: 34 Main St, Camden, ME 04843
Website: The Leather Bench