Maine Archives

As I mentioned in the previous post, two weekends ago I was rowing through a sea of scotch and a haze of burnt tobacco while my lady-friend (I love that term - straight out of a retirement village) was engaged in debauchery in the evergreen splendor of Maine. Between her undeniable bouts of rabble rousing and boisterous merrymaking she was kind enough to remember my rugged quest and appreciation for sartorial history.

As the story goes, Leon Leonwood Bean returned from a hunting trip with wet feet and summoned a local cobbler to fasten a leather upper to waterproof rubber bottoms. And so the Maine Hunting Shoe was born as well as the rugged legacy of L.L. Bean. The avid outdoorsman began selling field tested gear via mail order and soon developed a loyal customer base that valued the dependability of his products and his steadfast guarantee. He soon saw the need to supplement his catalogs with a retail outlet and opened a store in downtown Freeport, ME. This humble one man operation has since grown into a global organization with over 1.5 billion in sales. To modernize its tradition and bring a fresh design perspective, the company recently launched its new Signature line headed by Alex Carleton of Rogues Gallery fame. Mr Carleton has dipped into the Bean archives to resurrect old favorites, injecting tailored style while holding true to core functionality. Recent items that have been reworked include the Casco Bay Polo, Featherweight Hunting Jacket and my favorite, the Waxed Canvas Maine Hunting Shoe.

L.L. Bean Store Facts:
- Fisherman and hunters would often drop by at night on their way out into the Maine wild. At first a night bell would alert a watchman or even L.L. himself to come to the service of his late-night customers.

- The store began its 24/7, 365 operations in 1951.

- L.L. once remarked that "we have thrown away the keys to this place". There are still no locks on the doors of the store to this day.

- In 1989, a 40,000 sq. ft. extention was added to the store.

- The store is now 200,000 sq. ft. and resides on the original site where L.L. Bean opened his retail business in 1917.

- Services over 3 million visitors each year.

- A trout pond and a 3,500 gallon freshwater aquarium are housed inside.

- And finally, as a random fun fact, Leon Leonwood Bean was named one of the Top Ten Entrepreneurs of the 20th Century by the Wall Street Journal.

These images were snapped at the massive 24 hour L.L. Bean store in Freeport, ME by the aforementioned lady-friend. (click to enlarge):

All photos courtesy of S. Andriole except last, which is from L.L. Bean... because I like it.