Easter Openings and Closures: Maine Stores Set Their Schedules
As Easter falls on a Sunday, Mainers might observe that numerous big retailers across the state will be shut down.
This is due to the fact that Easter is among only three holidays affected by Maine’s blue laws. These regulations were established many years ago with the intention of restricting certain activities on Sundays and holidays, usually for religious purposes.
According to
current state law
Any store larger than 5,000 square feet of indoor retail space must remain closed on Easter, Thanksgiving, and Christmas without exception. Maine is among various states that continue to enforce these blue laws.
In Maine, supermarkets and large retail stores will remain closed on Easter due to the blue laws, which include the following:
- Walmart
- Target
- Costco
- Sam’s Club
- Hannaford
- Shaw’s
- Market Basket
- Lowe’s
- Home Depot
- TJ Maxx
- Marshalls
- HomeGoods
- Kohl’s
- Macy’s
- Nordstrom and Nordstrom Rack
- JCPenney
- Burlington
- The Maine Mall
- The Auburn Mall
L.L.Bean is more than 5,000 square feet in size, but they will be open on Easter because they have been grandfathered in and not affected by the blue laws.
On Easter, you can expect places such as pharmacies including Walgreens and CVS, coffee outlets like Dunkin’ and Starbucks, numerous chain eateries along with certain independent ones, most corner stores, and typically all cinema complexes to remain operational.
These lists do not cover every location, so make sure to call ahead to check if a specific store or eatery will be open on Easter.
TOP STORIES FROM WMTW:
The special edition Stanley tumblers are being snapped up quickly, however, these remain available.
READ THE FULL STORY:
An overview of which stores in Maine will be open and closed on Easter.
CHECK OUT WMTW:
Get the most recent updates on Portland news and weather from the WMTW team. Explore new Portland, Maine, news articles and keep up-to-date.