Unless you are very new to life in the State of Maine, there is a good chance that you know how to prepare for a major holiday in Maine.  Basically, you are going to want to purchase nearly everything you need in advance because most large stores are not open on significant holidays like Easter, Christmas, and Thanksgiving.

Thanksgiving & Black Friday

Back in the 80s and 90s, Black Friday shopping started EARLY!  Then, for a few years, it got even EARLIER!  Major retailers started their "door buster" deals late on Thanksgiving night.  Then, those deals started creeping even earlier.  Before too long, people were able to check out sales in the middle of Thanksgiving afternoon!

These days, however, most of the major chains have backpedaled on the idea of being open Thanksgiving.  Instead, they are closing to allow their employees to have time with their families.  Now, many open early on Black Friday morning.

Of course, here in Maine, most of us never had the opportunity to go shopping on Thanksgiving even when stores were fired up about starting those "door buster" deals early.

Why?  Blue Laws, that's why!

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What Are Blue Laws?

Maine is one of the only places in the United States that still has "blue laws".  The rules prevent retail businesses that are 5,000 square feet or larger must follow the laws.  Even though it appears the portion of the law regarding being open on Sundays is still in place, it has been modified to allow those businesses to be open on Sundays.  The stipulation is that they may nor require employees to work on Sundays as part of normal employment.  However, the rule that prevents businesses from being open on major holidays is in place.  These holidays include: Easter, Thanksgiving, and Christmas.

Of course, there are some exception to the laws.  These include smaller retail businesses (like small grocery stores), restaurants, pharmacies, airlines, taxis, and media outlets.

You can read the details of the law HERE - but you may want to have your legal dictionary on hand.

What Will Be Open?

Instead of doing a deep dive into the legaleze of the blue laws, we're just going to simplify it by breaking which types of stores and businesses will and won't be open.

You can expect the following to be closed:

  • Walmart
  • Sam's Club
  • Dick's Sporting Goods
  • Kohl's
  • Target
  • Best Buy
  • Home Depot
  • Lowe's
  • Big Lots
  • Hobby Lobby
  • Shaw's
  • Hannaford

These places may be open:

  • Small grocery stores
  • Convenience stores
  • Drug stores (like CVS and Walgreens)
  • Coffee shops like Dunkin', Aroma Joe's, and Starbucks
  • Some restaurants
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Regardless of what you are going to be doing for Thanksgiving and Black Friday, we hope you have a great long weekend!

16 Now Closed Turnpike Mall Stores

The Turnpike Mall in Augusta has been around for over a half century. In that time, dozens of stores and businesses have come and gone. We've put together a list of some of the more notable ones. Do you remember any of these?
This information was found on the Mall Hall of Fame and Zayre88 websites.

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