Staff photo by Colleen Stone

Elmer's Barn, home to all you could possibly want and much, much more.
What: Elmer's Barn

Where: Route 17, Coopers Mills (See a map.)

More about it: Maine is famous for its inordinate amount of roadside junk stores, but a few things that set Elmer's Barn apart from the rest. First, the sheer quantity of stuff: The three floors can barely contain all of it and indeed much of it overflows onto the porch and the lawn in front of the barn.

Then there's the variety: You'll find totem poles, hardware of all kinds, animal sculls and old bottles. People have purported to have found human bones there (Elmer confirms this; it's up to you whether or not you want to believe it).

Then there's, the disorder, or at least the appearance of it: Chairs piled in corners, huge wooden horses buried behind antique doors and drums holding tangles of neckties. Look closely though, and you'll soon find a method to the madness. If things aren't exactly orderly, they're loosely grouped by theme — hardware, pottery, windows, mirrors and so on.

If you go, be prepared to spend hours poking around. And if you need to find the bathroom, just follow the tape on the floor.


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