Long Island Store

Long Island Store is your quintessential Maine island store: it’s pretty sparse, no frills, and small enough that it’s easy to navigate/​easier to get under foot of other people. They definitely know who’s a local and who’s not. And they offer essentials like sunblock, fishing gear, and kitschy sweatshirts (for your perfect beach day in case you forgot anything on the mainland/​are a tourist and don’t realize that the ocean breeze in Maine can actually be quite cold even in August); along with pretty typical mom and pop store staple food items like cold sandwiches (think Italians, tuna/​chicken/​egg salad, etc.), hot sandwiches (meatball, steak and cheese, hamburgers), fried foods (clam cakes, chicken fingers, mozzarella sticks, french fries), Gifford’s ice cream (there are very minimal options), whoopie pies, and soda, six-​packs of beer, and bottles of wine. Folks can enjoy their spoils on Long Island Store’s deck while looking out onto Casco Bay. Interestingly enough, the back of the store also houses some beautiful, coastal-​inspired artwork. And why wouldn’t it when outside their window are pine trees, the rocky shoreline, and the deep blue Atlantic?
For a half-​day trip, it’s not necessarily a «must stop»; the first time we came we almost immediately left when we realized there was really nothing we wanted or needed (though I imagine if we were vacationing here/​lived here/weren’t vegetarians we would end up LOVING this place). We were initially drawn in for the ice cream, but the flavors weren’t singing to us and the people working seemed deeply immersed in conversations with other islanders making it difficult to get their attention. However, there is something quite satisfying about a) feeling a sort of anonymity here, and b) being able to buy a bottle of wine only to then walk down to Fowlers or up to Cleaves Landing to enjoy it!