7 Maine Country Stores Where Old-Fashioned Treats Steal The Show
One Maine general store sells hardware, outdoor gear, and wedding attire, and its candy aisle still manages to steal attention. I love that combination. You can shop for an outdoor project, a wedding, and a sugar fix in a single stop.
Another country store on this list is Amish-run, way up north. Its shelves hold Amish grown popcorn, jams, and candy next to pickling supplies. I find that mix of practical and sweet completely charming.
The rest of the stops are just as fun. One makes scratch donuts three mornings a week. Another sells lobster gummies near the penny candy bins.
I wonder how many road trips have been rerouted for a brownie or a slab of maple walnut fudge. Honestly, I can’t imagine a better excuse to take the long way home.
Which of these sweet stops would tempt you first?
1. S. Fernald’s Country Store
Few places let you grab a specialty sandwich and a roll of retro candy in the same breath. In Damariscotta, S.
Fernald’s Country Store makes that combo feel completely normal.
The shop works as a deli and coffee spot with an old-timey feel. Sandwiches get plenty of attention here, but the candy shelves are where nostalgia really kicks in.
You’ll find nostalgic candies sharing space with Maine-made goods, local jams, and maple syrup. Retro toys add to the fun, so kids and grown-ups both have something to gawk at.
Then there are the homemade brownies. They have a serious fan base, and one could easily become your new travel snack.
Ice cream is on the menu too, which makes a stroll down Main Street even better. Damariscotta is a small, walkable river town, so you can eat and wander at the same time.
Plan your timing, because hours are short. The store is closed Mondays, open 10 AM to 4 PM Tuesday through Saturday, and 11 AM to 2 PM on Sunday.
Wednesdays and Saturdays tend to be the busiest stretches. Free lot and street parking help, and curbside pickup is an option if you’re in a hurry.
Leave room in your bag for a cute notebook or stickers too. Paper goods sit among the treats, and they make easy little gifts.
A quick visit is all you need here. Still, picking just one candy might take longer than you expect.
Address: 50 Main St, Damariscotta, ME 04543
2. Granite Hall Store
Penny candy bins have a sneaky talent for turning parents back into nine-year-olds. At Granite Hall Store, that transformation happens fast.
The shop sits in Round Pond, a tiny harbor village in the town of Bristol. The area is known for its working waterfront and 19th-century village buildings.
Inside, the shelves are packed with gifts, toys, books, cards, home goods, and candy. It’s a real country store, with plenty of corners to poke around.
The penny candy selection is huge, and it’s the star of the show for many families. Kids get a pile of choices, while grown-ups get a jolt of childhood memories.
Fudge deserves its own moment. Flavors like maple walnut and pistachio are made locally in nearby Damariscotta.
Want something even more Maine? The shelves have also held little lobster gummies, plush lobsters, and Wild Maine blueberry jams made in Wiscasset.
In season, an ice cream stand joins the party. A cone on a summer afternoon pairs nicely with a bag of candy.
The store opens 10 AM to 5 PM and closes on Tuesdays. Mornings tend to be quieter, while Friday, Saturday, and Sunday afternoons get busy.
Give yourself time to browse slowly. The fun here is in the hunting, not the rushing.
Bristol’s coastline makes the drive worthwhile on its own. The candy just seals the deal.
Grab a postcard before you go. Free Wi-Fi means you can also brag about your candy haul right away.
Address: 9 Back Shore Rd, Round Pond, ME 04564
3. Day’s Store
Gas, groceries, and pastries good enough to make you forget the gas? Day’s Store pulls off that unlikely trio in Belgrade.
This lakeside general store and café has served the Belgrade Lakes region since the 1950s. That’s decades of summer folks and locals stopping in for supplies.
The baked goods are the big draw. Fresh pastries here have a reputation as some of the best in Maine.
Fudge sits right alongside those pastries, so choosing gets tricky. Our advice is simple: get one of each and call it lunch dessert.
Speaking of lunch, the café side serves pizza and sandwiches. You can fuel up properly before hitting the sweets.
Visiting from away? Souvenirs and Maine T-shirts line up for out-of-staters who want proof of their trip.
You’ll also find the everyday basics a gas station carries. Forgot snacks for the lake?
This is your stop.
Belgrade is a rural town of about 3,200 people, surrounded by lakes. The scenic village main street makes a pleasant backdrop for a pastry break.
Pastries go best with a lake view. Luckily, water is never far away in this part of the state.
Hours run 8 AM to 7 PM Monday through Saturday, and 8 AM to 2 PM on Sunday. Sunday mornings get busy, so midweek mornings are calmer.
Free parking in the lot and on the street keeps things easy. Free Wi-Fi helps too, if you need to check directions to the next lake.
Address: 182 Main St, Belgrade, ME 04917
4. Fraternity Village General Store
Here’s a calendar tip worth memorizing: Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. Those are donut days at Fraternity Village General Store.
On those mornings, fresh donuts get made from scratch right in the store. If you love a classic donut, planning your route around this schedule makes total sense.
The rest of the week isn’t a sugar desert, either. Homemade baked goods fill the case, and they have a reputation for hooking people for life.
The aroma helps sell them. The store is known for smelling wonderful the moment you come through the door.
Pizza is another reason to stop. Grab a slice for real food, then follow it with something sweet for balance.
Searsmont is an inland village in Waldo County, Maine, with roughly 1,400 residents. It’s quiet, rural country, which makes a fresh donut feel like a big event.
Early birds, rejoice. The store opens at 5:30 AM on weekdays, 6 AM on Saturday, and 7 AM on Sunday.
Closing time is 8 PM most days and 7 PM on Sunday. Afternoons and evenings tend to be the busiest stretch, so mornings may be smoother.
A free parking lot and a restroom make it an easy pit stop. In-store pickup is available if you want to plan ahead.
Fair warning: donuts made from scratch don’t tend to last long on a road trip. Eat one in the car and save one for later, if you can manage it.
Address: Main St N, Searsmont, ME 04973
5. Hussey’s General Store
Where else can you buy hardware, outdoor gear, and wedding attire, then finish with a bag of candy? Hussey’s General Store in Windsor makes that shopping list possible.
The store is known as Maine’s largest general store. Wander the aisles and the size makes sense fast.
For sweet tooths, the candy selection is the headline. It’s often called the best around, and the variety is a big part of the fun.
Thirsty? The drink cooler carries hard-to-find options you may not spot at other stores.
Many products on the shelves are local or Maine made. That makes it a smart place to pick up treats with real roots in the state.
The meat department also earns serious praise. So you could stock the fridge and the candy dish in one trip.
And yes, the wedding attire is real. It’s one of the most unexpected things you’ll find under the same roof as candy.
Windsor is a rural town of about 2,600 people. Rolling farmland, woods, and quiet country roads surround it, so the drive is part of the treat.
The store has a small-town, old-time feel despite its size. You can browse for a while or make a quick run.
Hours are 7 AM to 6 PM Monday through Saturday and 8 AM to 5 PM on Sunday. Wednesday and Thursday mornings are the quietest times to browse.
Bring a list, then ignore half of it. The candy aisle will rewrite your plans anyway.
Address: 510 Ridge Rd, Windsor, ME 04363
6. The Acadia Country Store
Bar Harbor’s Main Street has plenty of temptations, but a fudge shelf is hard to beat. The Acadia Country Store keeps one right inside.
Fudge is a top reason people stop in. The fudge shelf may not be open at every moment, so it’s smart to ask when you arrive.
Blueberry products are the other big draw. In Maine, the wild blueberry is the official state berry, so bringing some home feels right.
The store also carries a wide selection of Maine-themed souvenirs. Gifts for the folks back home are easy to find here.
It’s a gift shop and country store in one. Visitors have called it very impressive for a country store.
Hours are generous. The doors open from 9 AM to 9 PM, seven days a week.
Need an after-dinner treat? A 9 PM closing time means dessert plans don’t have to end early.
Evenings early in the week tend to be busiest. Mornings, especially on Sunday, tend to be quieter.
Bar Harbor has around 5,000 year-round residents and a compact, walkable downtown. That makes it easy to pair fudge with a stroll.
Grab a box for later, too. Fudge travels better than ice cream on the ride back to your room.
Address: 128 Main St, Bar Harbor, ME 04609
7. The Pioneer Place USA
Way up in Aroostook County, a general store run by the Amish turns a pantry run into a treasure hunt. The Pioneer Place USA is the final, and maybe most surprising, stop.
Smyrna Mills is a rural community with fewer than 400 residents. That makes this old-fashioned country store a true northern Maine find.
Sweets here lean simple and classic. Look for candy, jellies, jams, and snacks on the shelves.
Bakers, take note of the fresh sweetened coconut. It’s the kind of ingredient that could inspire a batch of homemade cookies once you’re back home.
Amish grown popcorn is another fun pick. Pop it at home and you’ve got an old-fashioned treat with a story behind it.
The store also stocks bulk spices and pickling supplies. If you love canning season, this place may feel like a candy store of its own.
Organic oatmeal, cereal, candles, and handmade pot holders round out the mix. Hardware is part of the lineup too, so practical shoppers stay busy.
Plan carefully before you make the drive. The store is open 8 AM to 5 PM Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday, plus 8 AM to 4 PM Saturday.
It’s closed on Thursday and Sunday. Saturday mornings and afternoons are the busiest, while Monday and Wednesday mornings are calmer.
Bring a sturdy bag for your haul. Jars of jam and bags of popcorn add up quickly.
Address: 2539 US-2, Smyrna Mills, ME 04780