After Historic Year, Freeport’s LL Bean Unlocks the Doors Today

Thanks to the coronavirus, LL Bean had to put locks on their flagship store in Freeport - they come off today!

According to News Center Maine, after a year of lockdown, Bean's flagship store (with the allure of middle of the night shopping) is back to 24/7. They had to put locks on their doors last March because of the coronavirus - the first time they locked the doors isnce 1951! They did reopen but with the hours cut way back. No midnight shopping!

But Monday at 10 in the morning, LL Bean in Freeport WILL be open 24 hours a day! This is for the Hunt and Fish store...the one where the boot is. There are other stores, Home and Bike and Boat and Ski - they are not open 24 hours a day, but Monday they do expand their hours to 7 a.m. to 10 p.m.

LL Beans Executive Chairman, Shawn Gorman, told News Center Maine that his great-grandfather opened their Flagship Store more than 100 years ago. It was in 1951, that he made it 24 hours open. He did that so that sportsmen (and women) driving through Freeport at all hours would be ready for whatever their early morning adventure was. Ever been fishing or hunting? It's an early start!

LL Bean had a pretty decent 2020 and will actually open up seven new stores in the US and Canada. One is in Salem, New Hampshire opening in mid May. Then in Millbury, Mass., and Amherst, N.Y. By the end of the year they will have four Canadian locations too: Victoria and Burnaby, British Columbia, Dartmouth, Nova Scotia and Calgary, Alberta.

To celebrate, I may just buy something...around 2 in the morning!