What Stores Will Be Open on Easter Sunday in Maine?

Easter Sunday is one of the three holidays in Maine where it's illegal for certain retailers to be open.Why is that?

Maine's Blue Laws

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Maine is one of several states, mostly in New England, that still have blue laws that force retailers to close on Sundays and holidays. Ever tried to buy a car on a Sunday in Maine? Thanks to a blue law, you can't. Blue laws were put in place long ago to prevent activities on Sundays and holidays, typically for religious reasons.

What Do Maine Blue Laws Say About Stores Closing?

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Up until the late 1980s, you couldn't shop at any store 5,000 square feet in size or larger on a Sunday. One remnant of that law remains in place today in Maine for three holidays: Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Easter. Maine State Title 17, §3204(2)(HH), regarding religious assemblies, Holy days, and Sunday reads:

In no event, however, may any store having more than 5,000 square feet of interior customer selling space be open on Easter Day, Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day

What Stores Will Be Closed on Easter Sunday?

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Maine's blue laws force retailers like these to be closed on Easter:

Target
Costco
Sam's Club
Hannaford
Shaw's
Market Basket
Lowe's
TJ Maxx
Marshalls
HomeGoods
Macy's
Nordstrom and Nordstrom Rack
JCPenney
Kohl's
Burlington

So we're mostly talking grocery stores and big box stores that are closed Easter Sunday. Here are some places that will be open:

Walgreens
Most movie theaters
Dunkin'
Many Chain Restaurants (Applebee's, etc)
Some Local Restaurants
Most Convenience Stores
L.L. Bean

L.L. Bean is more than 5000 square feet in size, but they are the only exception in Maine to the blue law because they have been grandfathered in.

This list by no means applies to all locations for a business, and there are plenty we haven't listed here, so it's always best to call ahead to find out if a particular retailer is open or not.