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L.L. Bean:
A Look at the New Hunting and Fishing Store

This month’s award goes to the new L.L. Bean Hunting and Fishing Store in Freeport. Now, I’ve been shopping at Bean’s for over 40 years and I loved the old store with it’s wide and worn central staircase and it’s many antique items on display, but I have to say the new store is better in so many ways, while still retaining all the rustic touches anyone could want.

I’ll cover the new attractions at the hunting and fishing store later, but first I want talk about what I have always liked best about the L.L. Bean hunting and fishing department. It’s the people. Really. They were the best 40 years ago and they are the best today.

There are two reasons why this is true. The first is that you don’t get to work in the Hunting and Fishing Store unless you are a real outdoorsmen. These are people who love to hunt and fish, and who spend as much time doing it as possible. I have long known many of the folks who work the floor of the hunting and fishing store and they qualify as experts in the best methods, great places to go and equipment knowledge. When they give advice, you know it’s the result of practical experience proven over time.

The second reason is that each one of these people has been chosen because they really want to help you. They aren’t there to sell you anything. Instead, their job is to help you find things and to give you advice whenever you need it. That’s always been the way it works at L.L. Bean, and that’s the way it works today. Sure the new store is a fabulous facility, specially designed to capture the outdoor tradition while offering the best in outdoor gear. But it’s the willingness of the staff that makes it a must-go-to stop when I need outdoor gear.

That said, if you haven’t seen the new store yet, here are some of the great features waiting for you:

New Full-Service Pro Shop:
Offering firearms cleaning and servicing; rod and reel repair; arrow fletching and dipping; bow fitting and repair; custom fly-tying and much more.

Rustic Hunting Lodge Atmosphere:
Fish and game mounts from Maine and around the world.
Large sculptures and intricate wildlife carvings by New England artists and craftsmen.
Inviting seating area around a large stone fireplace and granite hearth quarried from nearby North Yarmouth, Maine.

New Aquatic Display:
A 24-foot riverbed aquarium alive with fish, turtles and other species found in Maine's waterways. A unique dome inside the tank provides fun viewing for young naturalists.

New Archery Shop:
A new, improved virtual archery range – now with an enclosed viewing area so visitors can safely watch the action.

And that’s just a part of what you’ll enjoy at the new L.L. Bean Hunting and Fishing Store. Hope I see you there soon.

For more information, visit L.L. Bean.com