PERRY, Maine - A 10-minute drive from Eastport, the town of Perry’s claim to fame is its location on the 45th parallel, halfway between the equator and the North Pole. A red granite stone first commemorated this celebrated latitude in 1899, and a relatively new interpretive panel notes that Perry joins the Bordeaux region of France and the deserts of Mongolia as other areas that reside on the 45th parallel.
Yet, how many of those locales have their own 45th Parallel store?
Chicagoans Britani and Philip Pacarella were on a driving trip to Nova Scotia when they fell in love with Maine. In a former elementary school on Route 1, a mere 1,500 feet from that 1899 marker, they opened an emporium filled floor to ceiling with whimsical goods: antique bird cages, modern lamps, Maine sea glass jewelry, and stained glass windows.
“We do a little bit of everything and try to make it fun for everybody,’’ says Philip. The shop has been in business for 14 years, and decorators come from as far as Boston when it reopens each spring.
“Some of our stuff is one-of-a-kind so they like to get here early and snatch those up,’’ Philip says.
Have a look, but be forewarned: You will most likely be coming home with some quirky collectibles in the trunk of your car.
45th Parallel Route 1, 207-853-9500. Daily 9 a.m.-5 p.m. May-October. Weekends in November and December.
Stephen Jermanok can be reached at www.activetravels.com.