5 Main Street in Blue Hill hoping to make shopping local fun

BLUE HILL, Maine (WABI) - Shopping local for the holidays often means you might find something you didn’t even know you were looking for.

If you’re gift hunting at 5 Main Street in Blue Hill, you might not realize you’re shopping at three stores in one.

“It’s a great community,” said Leaf & Anna employee Shiloh Eaton. “We get a lot of support. We meet a lot of great people and we’re a family.”

It was supposed to be a short term pop-up store for Leaf & Anna, in a building that had housed a flower shop. But when the building sold, Leaf & Anna didn’t just take it over. They welcomed other pop-up businesses as well. Hanna Person is an employee at Leaf & Anna, and the owner of her own pop-up store within the space.

“5 Main is like the overall place,” Person said. “And then within it is Leaf & Anna, Hanna B. Designs, and la Maison Rehash.”

After a successful summer and fall, 5 Main Street has turned its attention to the holidays, urging people to shop local.

“It’s a fun space,” said Person. “We try and make it enjoyable. We know shopping can be kind of a lot in the holidays. We offer free wrapping, which is a big plus. Everybody loves that. We have really cute hedgehog wrapping paper. Everybody loves that one too.”

5 Main Street’s location has been a big help to those who want to shop Leaf & Anna, without having to drive down the Blue Hill Peninsula to Brooklyn.

“People who didn’t want to make the whole schlep be like oh great, thank goodness here in Blue Hill,” Person added. “I can get my funky cards and weird socks a little bit closer to home.”

“I never come out of there without spending more than I planned,” said Brooklin resident Terry Muilenburg. “I must say I’ve never seen a pink tree. And I’m guessing Hana had something to do with it.”

5 Main Street says it’s still figuring out what winter hours will work best, but Person said it doesn’t intend to be a seasonal business.

“We’re just super excited to keep it going and just offer home goods and great gifts all year long.”

For more information on everything happening at 5 Main Street in Blue Hill, you can check them out on Facebook.

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