Maine RSD FAQ
Maine has 34 brick-and-mortar record stores spread across 19 towns, from the southern coast up through the Midcoast, inland college towns, and all the way to Aroostook County near the Canadian border. Portland leads with seven shops, Bangor and Rockland each have three, and Biddeford, Brunswick, Lewiston, South Portland, and Waterville each have two. You will also find stores in Auburn, Camden, Caribou, Castine, Ellsworth, Farmington, Freeport, Gardiner, Orono, Scarborough, and York. Bull Moose, Maine’s homegrown chain, accounts for seven of those locations and anchors the scene statewide. Use our directory above to search, filter by town, and start planning your route. You can also browse the full Record Store Directory to explore shops in all 50 states and U.S. territories.
Bangor has three record stores. <a href=”https://bullmoose.com” target=”_blank”>Bull Moose</a> at Bangor Mall Boulevard is the chain’s Bangor outpost with a broad selection of new and used vinyl, CDs, and other media. <a href=”https://facebook.com/drrecordsbangor” target=”_blank”>Dr. Records</a> on Central Street is an independent shop in downtown Bangor. <a href=”https://facebook.com/vinylcanteen” target=”_blank”>The Vinyl Canteen</a> on Main Street rounds out the city with a dedicated vinyl-focused shop. Bangor’s position as the commercial hub of northern and central Maine makes it the go-to vinyl destination for a large part of the state. If you are visiting Acadia National Park or Bar Harbor, Bangor is a natural stop on the way.
Maine’s Midcoast is surprisingly strong for vinyl. Rockland alone has three shops within a few blocks of each other on Main Street: Ironside Records at 398 Main, Private Press at 392 Main, and Rockland Harbor Records at 318 Main. That concentration makes Rockland one of the best small-town vinyl destinations in New England. Just up the coast, Manny’s on Main Street in Camden carries vinyl in the heart of one of Maine’s most charming harbor towns. Down in Brunswick, Deep Groove Records on Center Street and Bull Moose on Maine Street give the Bowdoin College town two shops. The Midcoast rewards vinyl hunters who are willing to take the scenic route.
Southern Maine has several shops beyond Portland. Biddeford has two stops: Bull Moose on Alfred Street and Color Sound Oblivion on Main Street in the downtown arts district. South Portland has Bull Moose at Maine Mall Road and Newbury Comics nearby. Bull Moose in Scarborough serves the Expedition Drive retail corridor. Vintage Maine Impressions on York Street in York serves the southern tip of the state near the New Hampshire border. Between Portland and these surrounding towns, southern Maine has more than a dozen shops within a 30-minute driving radius.
Most Maine record stores carry a mix of new and used vinyl, and many stock CDs, cassettes, and other formats. Bull Moose at all seven locations is built on a buy-sell-trade model, so the used bins are deep and turn over constantly. Enterprise Records in Portland carries a strong used vinyl selection. Deep Groove Records in Brunswick and The Record Connection in Waterville are known for their used inventories. Newbury Comics in South Portland stocks vinyl, CDs, and collectibles. Formats and inventory vary by shop, so it is always worth calling ahead or checking a store’s website if you are hunting something specific. Our directory cards above include phone numbers and website links for every shop.