By TINA IYER
Features Editor
 

Older folks will tell you about the days when Bean was just a shack that sold hunting gear, but now tourists are being bused in from Portland just to unload their fanny packs.

And for us, the college kids of the 90's, L.L. Bean is an institution, almost mythical in size and influence on our dress, our gear, and our Friday nights. It's open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, and if you invest in one of their items, its guaranteed for life.

Freeport, once a sleepy town, has grown up prosperously around L.L. Bean.

It is easy to forget that Freeport is actually a residential town, with a post office and fire department and a public school system that doesn't explain why the Banana Republic really isn't an outlet store at all.

And for our purposes, maybe it doesn't matter at all that Freeport has its own inhabitants. What matters to the student, to the visitor, to the curious-mind, is that Freeport has an abundance of stores all within walking distance, and these stores are supposed to have good deals.

One has to wonder, though, what, or where, these deals are.

L.L. Bean's retail store never claimed to be an outlet, and for the quality of its products, the prices are definitely reasonable. And it does have a real outlet store located in one of the parking lots.

And yes, there are other outlet stores in Freeport such as Benetton and Nine West.

But the Gap is full price (except for upstairs), and so is Maxwell's Pottery.

So, if Freeport isn't the outlet bliss that it is believed to be, why do people, including Bates students, go?

It's because we go to Bates and going to Freeport is what we do.

Where else can get a water bottle, a new sweater, or candles that you can't light in your on-campus room?

It might even be preaching to the choir to write anything about Freeport at all, but there must be some left who are still uninitiated ...

Freeport is a great day trip, afternoon trip, or middle-of-the-night trip.

Roughly a half-hour from Lewiston on Route 136 South, it is a lovely drive (the best in October) that winds along the Androscoggin River for a bit and then takes you through some quiet towns and past some rickety houses.

The left turn off of Route136 into Freeport leads straight onto the main drag of Main Street, the heart and soul of this consumer mecca. The most sought-after stores line Main Street or are conveniently located nearby. You can't get lost, and you can't go wrong.

Parking in Freeport is free and plentiful, courtesy of L.L. Bean. And with the exception of the week before Labor Day, a space is usually easy to find.

The must-see, must-go, must-buy store is definitely L.L. Bean.

The store's staff is friendly, the stuff is cool, and how does one resist a multi-level megastore complete with pond and taxidermied moose? Buy maple syrup, flannel sheets, a rifle, and tent here, and grab a cup of coffee, too.

Feel free to browse at 4 a.m. and wonder about the other normal-looking customers picking out fishing gear.

Besides L.L. Bean, there are a seemingly infinite number of stores to venture into.

Find perpetually tucked-in and slicked-back khaki boys at J.Crew, check out unnecessary china and glassware at Villeroy and Boch, indulge in some fleece at Patagonia, and wonder why Donna Karan ever tried to charge $98 for a flannel shirt during the grunge craze at her outlet store.

Freeport is a great place to procrastinate during finals and get some holiday shopping done.

Mangy Moose offers every type of moose item available for that uncle with the moose obsession, and there are cookies galore at the Pepperidge Farm. If the big name manufacturer doesn't interest you, there are plenty of stores selling Maine handicrafts as well.

Food in Freeport can be a little expensive, but there are franchises such as Arby's and McDonald's if you're hungry but don't want to spend a lot of cash. In fact, the McDonald's in Freeport is perhaps the most aesthetically pleasing one that I've ever seen. You won't see any nasty golden arches but rumor has it that the Hamburglar still lurks inside.

The Corsican Restaurant on Mechanic Street has some tasty crabcakes, and The Big Tomato can satisfy a need for greasy pizza. More grease can be found at Friendly's, and desserts are great at Ben and Jerry's.

Freeport isn't all there is to Maine, nor should it be ... but it is a good drive late at night when the kegger ain't your thing.

You never know: Sometimes a great find might find you, and hey, who wouldn't patronize a store created by a man named Leon Leonwood?