elmer's barn

Glad they added some dealer with actual antiques and collectibles. I remember for years this was a place to go to just pick for "stuff" or stay in the car while the hubby looks like I used to. We heard it had changed over the years and had stopped by - definitely worth a stop. Prices weren't too bad but if individual dealers sell there, they set their own prices. Always interesting, that's for sure. Sometimes the best finds are at places like this!

Drove by it on Rt 117 going to Camden. On the way back we stopped and spent about an hour walking about. I bought a checker board and life size Holland wooden shoes totaling $12. I am so glad my adult son was not with us. He would have gone nuts touching and discovering all the tools. Weird things I saw, one moose horn, a 2-ft paddle, a sign (Leave your dog in car - no s-h-I-t). That last one might not be for sale.

I wasted 2 hours of my life searching for a fair deal at Elmer's Barn. Yes there are lots of rusty old tools (who knows if they work anymore) and the 2nd floor is full of overpriced 'antiques' (mostly junk). The entire place is a hazard for tripping over things. The prices are so high that they rarely move inventory, so every hallway is stacked from floor to almost ceiling with broken wicker chairs, rickety wooden boxes, etc. on both sides of every hallway. Some examples of prices that I saw: $14 for a small shallow thin wooden box with a cracked branch for a handle. $30 for a rusted and warped cast iron 8" pan. $10 for a short length of rusty chain. $2 for a single baby shoe. $18 basket with a missing slat in the bottom. I got excited over a $5 canning pot with cover until I saw the HOLE in the side near the bottom. I overheard the other visitors commenting on the ridiculously high prices on the junk items. Basically, if you have a ton of money to spend, don't know the actual value of items and you don't mind fixing up broken junk, then this place is for you. The barn itself is an interesting building, but it's hard not to feel like you're visiting a hoarder's house.

Old tools and bits are what sets this big dusty place from the many other junk and stuff places here in Maine. I enjoyed myself and even found a couple of things. If you have a thing for old tools this might be the place to go.