Jun-2015
Store boasts eclectic mix from fine wine to carved ducks

Dating from the early 1900s, a ship’s brass engine order telegraph (E.O.T), made by Chadburns of Liverpool & London in Great Britain, is displayed at County Store Antiques, Books & Wine on Route 3 in Trenton. A ship’s pilot used the communications device to send orders to the engine room to change the vessel’s speed. PHOTO BY LAURA COLE
Anyone who’s driven through Trenton has probably noticed what appears to be a rambling red barn beside the road.
You’re not mistaken. The spacious structure was built in 1962 to house horses. That function has long ceased.
Still, Country Store Books, Antiques & Wine proprietor Vicki Landman says she can’t entirely escape the building’s original purpose.
“There’s still a clause in the deed that says I have to keep the trails open for the horses to get to the pond to drink,” Landman said. “I’ve given fox and fishermen access, but I still haven’t seen any horses.”
While no animals inhabit the structure anymore, one can find just about anything else in the nooks and crannies stuffed full of antiques and contemporary local crafts.
Stroll through one booth and you’ll find a whole shelf of carved wooden duck carvings. Another reveals a Maine map dating from the 1880s.
Looking for a vintage typewriter, a spinning wheel or a quilt hand-sewn by a 95-year old woman in 1906? Look no further.
How about stringed instruments, old-time cameras or vintage Maine license plates? The Country Store has them all.
The business, which has been open for 10 years, occupies three floors. Antiques take up the main floor — row upon row, shelf after shelf of collectibles, some even dating as far back as the 1500s.

At County Store Antiques, Books & Wine, the entire second floor is devoted to books — roughly 50,000 — to browse through. PHOTO BY LAURA COLE
The second floor houses the books — approximately 50,000 of them.
“On every subject, and all organized,” Landman, a librarian for 20 years, noted with pride.
The basement also is partially devoted to antiques, and fine wine and microbrews have a home here too. Many of the wide-ranging beers and wines are produced in Maine.
The Country Store showcases antiques from 30 independent dealers. Each dealer has his or her own booth, and many specialize in certain things such as quilts, chinaware or even hunting and mounted taxidermy.
Landman, a Bangor native who makes her home in Trenton, and two other employees keep the shop running year-round.
It would be easy to spend hours looking through the 15,000 square feet of merchandise.
And why put an antique shop, book store and wine cellar all in the same place?
“If you don’t like one, you’ve got to like one of the others,” Landman explained.
Country Store Books, Antiques & Wine is located at 410 Bar Harbor Road (Route 3) in Trenton. Hours are 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. daily. For more info, call 667-5922 and visit the store’s Facebook page.