The sturdy building for the Maine State Prison Showroom was once adjacent to the prison itself. Image by Tom Adkinson

THOMASTON, Maine – It’s practically a law that visitors to Maine gravitate to Freeport for vacation shopping at the L.L. Bean mother ship, but the discerning shopper who wants items that are true treasures from Maine drives 60 miles up the coast to Thomaston.

Some of the showroom’s items are whimsical, such as colorful free-standing bird feeders that resemble Maine lighthouses. Image by Tom Adkinson

The destination is the Maine State Prison Showroom, which occupies a less-than-fancy red brick building on Main Street. This store puts to rest the stereotyped image of inmates making license plates, although inmates in other states make plenty of license plates. Step inside the showroom – and it really does live up to that name – to find top-quality furniture, detailed model ships, carved decorator items, colorful bird feeders, and even sturdy wooden rocking horses and playful stick horses for youngsters.

Attention to detail is clear in this model of a Maine lobster boat built by a Maine State Prison inmate. Image by Tom Adkinson

Maine was cleaved from Massachusetts in 1820 and gained statehood in a package deal with Missouri (one free state, one slave state). It had a state prison by 1823 in centrally located Thomaston, and as of 1825 had a work program for inmates. That prison, now gone, was on land immediately behind today’s showroom, and one corner wall and guard tower stand as a reminder. The land seller was Gen. Henry Knox, a hero of the Revolutionary War and the namesake of Knoxville, Tenn.

Whether you call these rocking horses or rocking motorcycles, they are among many distinctive pieces at the Maine State Prison Showroom. Image by Tom Adkinson

Early prison-made products such as wagons, sleighs, and wheelbarrows fit the needs of a growing state, but by the 1900s, the focus shifted to more consumer-oriented items. The first retail store opened in 1930, and today’s showroom opened in 1957.

Smaller items are modestly priced (polished wood birdhouses shaped like acorns are $35, and heart-shaped wooden boxes are $10), but top-quality larger furniture pieces draw plenty of attention. Recent examples: Hardwood coffee tables for $215 and $245, a sturdy toy chest for $329, and a substantial four-drawer bureau for $750. You may find comparable items at IKEA for less, but these craftsman-made furniture items will last for generations.

This corner is all that remains of the Maine State Prison, which operated in Thomaston for two centuries. Image by Tom Adkinson

Prison officials cite multiple reasons for the Maine Correctional Industries Program. Its website states it provides participants with the opportunity to learn marketable job skills, develop a work ethic, and earn money for victim restitution, child support, reimbursement for living expenses, and personal use.

The fictional prison in “The Shawshank Redemption” was in Maine, and showroom merchandise capitalizes on its fame. Image by Tom Adkinson

Visitors are quick to wonder whether the prison in “The Shawshank Redemption,” the movie adaptation of a novella by Maine writer Stephen King, was the Maine State Prison in Thomaston. Shawshank Prison was fictional, but King took inspiration from the institution at Thomaston, which remained open until 2002. The Maine State Prison Showroom rides on those coattails just a bit.

Shawshank-themed merchandise, such as sweatshirts and laser-engraved cups, gets prominent display space. Perhaps the only downside to the showroom’s operation is that it does not sell online or ship merchandise. That means dedicated shoppers must put L.L. Bean in their rearview mirror for the short drive to Thomaston.


Trip-planning resources:
Facebook.com/MSPShowroom and VisitMaine.com

(Travel writer Tom Adkinson’s book, 100 Things To Do in Nashville Before You Die, is available at Amazon.com.)