Maine’s Blue Laws Prevent These Stores From Opening on Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving used to be the day before Christmas shopping began, but more and more people are getting the jump on their shopping earlier. Once Black Friday sales start rolling out, it's time to release the hounds.

In many states in the country, stores are open on Thanksgiving Day, though usually with shortened hours. Those of us who have lived here in Maine all of our lives know that many stores are not open in Maine and that's the way it's always been. Thanksgiving is one of the three holidays in Maine on which it's actually against the law for certain retailers to be open. But why?

Maine Blue Laws

Maine is one of several states, mostly in New England, that still has blue laws forcing certain retailers to close on Sundays and holidays. Have you ever tried to buy a car on a Sunday in Maine? Thanks to a blue law, you can't.

These laws were put in place long ago to prevent activities on Sundays and holidays, typically for religious reasons. Up until the late '80s, you couldn't shop at any store 5000 square feet in size or larger on a Sunday.

One remnant of that law remains in place today in Maine for Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Easter. Maine State Title 17, §3204(2)(HH) regarding religious assemblies, Holy days, and Sundays reads:

In no event, however, may any store having more than 5,000 square feet of interior customer selling space be open on Easter Day, Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day

Stores That Will Be Closed

That law forces retailers like these to be closed on Thanksgiving:

Hannaford Supermarkets
Shaw's
Market Basket
Walmart
Target
The Maine Mall
Home Depot
Lowe's
Kohl's

So, we're mostly talking about grocery stores and big box stores that are closed on Thanksgiving.

Stores That Will Be Open on Thanksgiving

Here are some places that will be open.

Most Walgreens 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Most Dunkin's
Some chain restaurants
Some local Restaurants
Some movie theaters
Most convenience stores
L.L. Bean Flagship Store
L.L.Bean is more than 5000 square feet in size, but they are the only exception to this Maine blue law grandfathered in as it was open 24 hours prior to the blue law going into effect. So if you want to go shopping at L.L. Bean on Thanksgiving day to get away from your family, go for it!

This list by no means applies to all locations for a business, and there are plenty we haven't listed here, so it's always best to call ahead to find out if a particular retailer is open.