Antique stores in Maine tend to be “junk shops,” usually old barns kept by hoarders who need to prove to the town they’re selling shit, not hoarding it in an unsafe manner. This barn however…. WOW, was it chic!

This was by far the first antique store I’ve ever been to that had an honest to god RACING BOAT. Not a replica, not a toy, an actual goddamn racing boat! As well as an old car, an old Harley, a swank cast iron stove, some terrifying huge store front dolls, the customary Gothic looking pram, an awesome dollhouse made of old cigar boxes, some really weird spicy magazines, and a sweat box. “Great for the kids!” according to the guy running the place. The sweat box was clearly not made for children. It was just a big DIY wooden box with a chair inside and a round hole cut out for an adult’s head to pop out of. Looked like a torture device!

I was really enjoying looking at these peculiar items but I was made a little skittish by the shop keep who was tailing us the entire time, pacing nervously in a manner that was making me wonder if I was about to steal something! Like I could. Everything in here was the size of a washing machine. Not that this was my reasoning for not stealing something, I’m just not a thief, especially of sweet little mom and pop stores! His constant check-ins were the reason my hands weren’t steady when I snapped a VERY blurry photo of the most racist painting I’ve ever seen in my life of a bunch of minstrel-eque/mamie-esqu caricatures chasing their children around with a baseball bat, I guess in retribution because they were smoking cigarettes. The more we looked at it the more we were muttering, “What the actual fuck?” I’m annoyed the photo came out blurry because oooph.

We left empty handed because I’m neither rich nor that racist. I was happy to be out of there. Even though I very much enjoyed looking at the antiques the fact we were being followed the entire time was really amping up my anxiety in a negative way. My companion said to be fair he was close behind everyone in the shop that day, which might be why they all left after a very short visit!