LL Bean

A few days ago, on my way to work, trudging through a really nasty rain/wind storm, I felt like I had stepped out of an LL Bean ad. I was wearing a hunter orange hat, from Goodwill on St. John, Bean Boots, a blue flannel fleece and a yellow rain slicker, featuring a navy whale print lining, while carrying a classic blue and white oversized boat-and-tote bag, which kept the contents wicked dry. I wasn't going to get rained on, hypothermia, shot at or well, whatever else could've possibly happened while waiting for the bus in that monsoon. I've realized recently, my wardrobe is containing an expanding number of Bean items, boat shirts and pullovers, and of course, the ol' dark denim and the Bean boots. It's all very "Maine."

But I'm in luck. Turns out Mary Phillips Sandy is working on web content for this new, exciting line from LL Bean and the Rogue's Gallery dude. The new line, called LL Bean Signature, is inspired by pieces from the '30s and '40s, and will be marketed to a younger, hipper demographic. Mary was fortunate enough to see the LL Bean archive, which is a room, only open to LL Bean employees, containing items from as far back as 1918, when the company was started. There is a hunting jacket from the 30s with actual dried duck blood. There is a pair of Bean boots that a soldier wore all through his tour of duty in World War II. The US Army tried to get this guy, a Mainer, to wear Army-issued boots, but he refused. After he died, his family just sent the boots back to Bean's, and the archivists there receive this kind of thing all the time. It's such a bummer that this great collection isn't open to the public (yet?).

My childhood best friend is the only person of no relation I can say I've known my whole entire life (seriously, our moms were friends while we were still in the womb.) She left her job at Victoria's Secret, choosing her family, friends, and boyfriend and a job as Assistant Marketing Manager at LL Bean over climbing the corporate ladder and moving to Ohio, where the Victoria's Secret corporate offices are located. At Bean's, she's on the floor a lot, which means talking to customers. I shouldn't have been surprised to learn that people who shop at LL Bean LOVE shopping at LL Bean, which is the opposite of how people feel about shopping at the mall. She tells me that people drive from Minnesota to come to the flagship store. A 91 year old woman came in and told her that shopping at LL Bean was like, her dying wish. She tried to help her pick out some nice clothes, but the woman kind of shrugged, confessing that she couldn't really even see what she was holding up for her, didn't care and would just take whatever.

But the best story she had, however, was when this man, a normal looking, 40-something man, came over and asked her where in Maine she lived. She's currently living in Auburn, not far from where we grew up, but this would mean nothing to a person in town only to be shopping in Freeport- we're not the capital, the largest city, or where the Bushes have a summer house, well, compound. So she tells the guy, and this is what he said, "Let me ask you, in Auburn, can you see lobster walking around in your back yard?" Her mouth gapes open a few times, like the live trout they keep at the store. She's flabbergasted. This is ridiculous and hysterical for a few reasons: 1.) Immediately I pictured red, cooked lobsters walking around in the back yard of the house I grew up in. 2.) Lobsters live on the bottom of the ocean. No one can see them from their house, even if you live on a boat. 3.) Auburn... landlocked. So, she replies as politely as she can without letting on that this man is absolutely crazy, "No, well, occasionally we might see a Moose, but no, no lobster."

Josh Gleason produced a story that aired on NPR about being up all night at Bean's, which is open 24 hours. See you there!