Marine Specialties

Time stands still in Marine Specialties!
I have been coming to this shop since I was a little kid and not a lot has changed over the years. Back in the old days I would come in to browse with my grandpa while he scoped out all of the «junk» this shop has to offer.
If you are in Provincetown it is a must to come in here and take a lap through the store. You never know what you will find here… Military paraphernalia, old license plates and a random assortment of collectible items.
You never know what you might walk out with. I promise you, it’s well worth taking 5 minutes of your time to browse the obscure offerings that this shop has.
The shop is located in the middle of Commerical Street, you can’t miss it.

I love this place! They have every weird, random, awesome thing ever. I could easily spend half a day shopping in here for glass floats, sea shells, Halloween costumes, stuffed animals, rustic marine décor, God-​knows-​what-​else! Reasonable prices as well. At my last visit, the cashier forgot to pack two ramekins in my bag. I contacted the store and they shipped the ramekins to me in Boston. They were only $ 2 apiece, but tricky to find and I really needed them! Awesome!

This place is really hard to describe.
It sells complete and random crap, and I mean that is the most positive way possible.
If you need crap, you should head to this place without delay.
But if you were looking for creepy random doll parts I think you’re out of luck since I didn’t see them when we visited today. I would say they sold out of them but I can’t possibly imagine that happening.
But fret not, since there’s plenty of other good crap still available at reasonable prices.
I wanted to buy this awesome red drum-​major jacket but at $ 100 I was overruled.
I’m sure there’s still some WWII-​era French military-​issue underwear there somewhere.
Where else are you going to find stuff like that?
Absolutely nothing is organized and neatly displayed. It’s almost like they went out of their way to make the place as messy and disorganized as possible, which is part of its charm. Yeah and it smells like you walked into a closet filled with musty WWII-​era French military issue underwear.
In other words if you’re in P-​town don’t miss this place and make sure you allocate plenty of time to spend rummaging through all the wonderful crap.

Any trip to P-​Town is incomplete until you have lost yourself in Marine Specialties for an unknown period of time. You will find everything you never knew you needed or wanted under this roof. They do have a totally cool selection of t-​shirts and sweatshirts so if you are dying to buy a souvenir, you would definitely find someone interesting here to bring home.

Themed as an old army/​navy supply store but has tons of fun eclectic goodies. Make the trip even better by going after bar hopping around Ptown, bound to get a few laughs and find something good.

Super fun place right in the heart of P-​town and open late. Tons of fun sundries and eclectic, including collectible license plates. A must-​stop and must-​see when in Provincetown. Use this store to load-​up on your trinkets for their annual Carnival!

This place is just plain fun and definitely not your average tourist town retail operation. Unique items and real bargains.

What’s not to love about Marine Specialties? This was my second time here in as many years and I am happy to see that things being sold here keep changing. Like this time the airline’s serving plates and glasses were gone and were replaced by even funkier tumblers and margarita glasses. Which is the best part. So you will find the out of this world gas masks, fun wigs, interesting costumes (I wonder if this store has additional collection during Halloween!?) and some cool casual wear at very low prices.
It is also a great place for anyone who is a collector. Pins featuring different eras, old license plates, old vinyl records, tin advertisement plates of coca cola and Marilyn Monroe selling liquid foundation. Definitely a collector’s heaven if you have the patience to go through the back of the store, especially near the walls. Chances are you will find something that will take you back in time and you will pick it up as a piece of treasure.
There is stuff for everyone. So if you are traveling with kids, there are some fun plastic guns with disco lights, (Wish that was the sole purpose of guns btw!), cute flip flops, and a limited clothes collection. The clothes for men and women are quite a mixed variety. But most of it is casual wear that you can relax in at home.
And if you don’t find anything that you would like to take home, you can always come out and listen to the dude on the piano singing his heart out.

This is the strangest store EVER!!! Its essentially an Army/​Navy store, but marches to a different beat. They have almost anything you would ever want to find in such an eclectic store.
I bought a jacket here in 2004, it finally fell apart in 2013… I got more than my money’s worth.
I find the most interesting thing they sell is discontinued plates and cups from airlines… you can easily build up a service of 8 for very little money if you don’t mind Pan Am logos on things.
The back is a serious marine store, you can get the latest nautical maps and other boating supplies, I have several P-​town harbor charts rolled up right next to me. I didnt push but I could probably have gotten all my USCG-​Aux ribbons and the like as well.

My kids loooooooved this store — they were in there for hours. I thought it was mildly interesting but not life changing — if you want to pretend to be a British Royal Mail employee, (which I do not) this is the place to shop for your clothes. If you need a gas mask, ditto. If you need a huge sword (as my kids always do) they have swords. I don’t need stuff like that so I sat on a piano stool and watched everyone be delighted by the store instead. Yawn.

A quirky store for sure. But so many little finds and super cheap prices. Lots of surplus items, some old and dusty — some old army gear, funky old clothes but it all adds to the charm. Don’t miss this place… It’s kind of hard to describe… Old and young will find treasures!

This is one crazy store to visit, kind of ‘something for everyone’ if you like army surplus. A highlight with our son every time we visit PTown.

Eclectic, thrifty store, with sort of an army/​navy vibe.
You can find just about anything here. Shoes, boots, shirts, wedding or prom dresses, jewelry, stuffed animals, crazy hats, gas masks, sailor clothes, fishing supplies, army surplus, belts, tee shirts, bathing suits, vintage band and movie posters, license plates, bottles, shells, lunch boxes, magnets… I could go on.
Prices here vary. I can remember a pair of chucks from here costing $ 50, a steep price. But about two summers ago, I got an army coat for only $ 20, which is now a staple of my wardrobe. Also, they sold me playbills from the original productions of «Little Shop of Horrors» and «Women Behind Bars,» both very rare, for only ONE DOLLAR EACH. That’s a great deal!
Note that the store is packed to the gills with both stuff and people, making it VERY HOT on the inside.

I go here every year when I visit Ptown…
You can find almost anything in here.
Lots of things to check out…
You will def not leave with out purchasing something :)

The most unique vintage/​souvenir shop I’ve ever been to.
Old/​unique license plates + army gear + seashells + buoy’s in decorative colors + fisherman nets + Cape Cod swag. This store literately has. it. all.
A must visit in Provincetown.
— — — –
note– the store is realllly hot inside. I didn’t see a single AC unit, plenty of fans though. Just be prepared for all that hot air swirling around.

I’ve gone to this place ever since I was a kid and I’ve always loved it. A little overwhelming (don’t check it out if you’re pressed for time), but a great place to rummage.
It’s crazy during the summer… tons of people. Definitely worth checking out.

What a groovy place. If you can’t find it here… well you probably can’t find it. Then again if you have ADD its best you take your Ritalin before you enter.
I walked out of here with a couple things… dropped 2 Lincoln’s and still had enough to buy an ice cream cone down the street. Love their cool vintage sign collection. I would have scored a couple of those if I hadn’t taken the ferry.

Fun spot with oodles of trash and treasures. NOT to miss. Kids, grown ups and everyone in between will LOVE this spot. Too zany to describe, just stop in. they sell Waboba’s!

For five dollars we bought:
A glass float (colored glass wrapped in jute)
12 american airlines plastic food trays (perfect for paper clips, tapas, other things)
We initially grabbed six of the trays (they are listed as «$ 1 per handful, anyone’s hand») When we brought them to the counter, the proprietor yelled at us that we had not taken enough and to go back and take more… so we did
A fun store, especially for those that enjoy the thrill of the hunt. And it looks exactly as I remember it from when I visited as a teenager.

The stars I’d offer a mini-​warehouse of military belt buckles, messages in bottles, pipe cleaner ski caps and American Airline flatware from the first-​class cabin could not outnumber the pips in our galaxy, friends.
Granted, a few items in their (dare I undershoot with a word like) eclectic inventory are somewhat aquatically related, but one could just as easily tie the name Marine Specialties to the flotsam — these treasures couldn’t be jetsam! — washed ashore from the planet’s coolest trinket freighter.
Nets and anchors draped beside wooden samurai swords and discount corduroys, with fat guy in a thong T-​shirts folded neatly next to 40-​year-​old Army issued MREs. It’s a museum for sale, or Willy Wonka’s attic, or a door into Terry Gilliam’s Amazon wish list.
And to offer a complete guess as if I, or anybody, could possibly cost compare a pair of 2008 New Year’s Eve party glasses, the prices are reasonable.
Will wonders never cease? Not as long as Marine Specialties keeps its doors open.