Shopping Guide
The Big Chicken Barn: Maine's Ultimate Treasure Hunt
Books, antiques, and history packed into a massive 21,000-square-foot barn. A mandatory stop on Route 1.
If you are driving Route 1 between Bucksport and Ellsworth, you cannot miss it. The Big Chicken Barn is exactly what it says it is: a colossal, three-story chicken coop converted into Maine’s largest book and antique store.
The Scale
- Size: 21,600 square feet of floor space.
- Length: The building is so long that you can barely see the other end when you stand in the aisle.
The First Floor: Antiques
The ground floor is an endless maze of antique booths.
- What you’ll find: Everything. Victorian furniture, maritime tools, vintage lobster buoys, cast iron pans, old signs, and glassware. It is not a curated boutique; it is a picker’s paradise.
The Second Floor: Books
The entire second floor is a library.
- Inventory: Over 150,000 books.
- Organization: Despite the size, it is incredibly well-organized by genre. You can find rare first editions, Maine history, stacks of paperback mysteries, and vintage magazines.
- The Chairs: There are comfy chairs scattered along the walls where you can sit and read while the floorboards creak beneath you.
Visiting Tips
- Air Conditioning: There isn’t any. On a hot August afternoon, the third floor can be stifling. Go early in the morning.
- Time: Give yourself at least an hour. It takes 15 minutes just to walk a lap of both floors.
Location: 1768 Bucksport Rd, Ellsworth. Open: 7 days a week, year-round.