L.L. Bean in Freeport, Maine

What was once founded in Maine is now a national company you see everywhere you go. Flannel-lined jeans, bean boots, and outdoor gear are only some of what the retail company L.L. Bean prides itself in.

The outdoor gear company started more than 100 years ago here in Maine and is still headquartered in the infamous Freeport where the flagship store is visited by thousands of people every day.

Good luck squeezing through the door and making your way through the store during the holiday season.

L.L. Bean Clothes

You see L.L. Bean merchandise all over the country now, but Mainers have a special connection to the store. Once the temperature drops, you’ll find locals parading through the streets in their bean boots and layering up in their flannels.

If you’re from Maine, you likely know at least one person who has worked at L.L. Bean at one point in their life. If so, this also means you are familiar with the employee store.

L.L. Bean Employee Store

The employee store is a magical land only employees are allowed to go to and is the sole reason and incentive that I would apply for a job with the company. Their clothes and gear are top-quality and so durable they will last you for life, so you often pay a pretty penny for what you buy.

This makes the employee store extremely special. Anything that can’t be sold in the store because of the most minor reason gets put into the employee area where you can find $100 slippers for $8.

These are deals you could never even dream of finding elsewhere.

Have you seen L.L. Bean clothes with Xs and sharpie marks on the tag? Well then, my friend, you are in possession of something from the employee store. Sometimes there will be a mark if you’re thrift shopping so it can’t be resold or returned to the store, but more often than not it probably came from the employee’s spot.

As someone whose family has lived in Maine for generations and has family members who have worked for L.L. Bean for years, I have my fair share of sharpie-marked bean clothes that have been handed down to me.

Whether it’s new, thrifted, or handed down to me, I will always take whatever I can get my hands on if it’s from beans!

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