How Many Marden’s Are There in Maine, and Where Did It All Begin?

You know the jingle, "I should have bought it when I saw it, at Marden's!"

But do you know how it all began? When and where did their doors first open? How many locations do they have now?

Here's a look at a store that is totally Maine.

When did Marden's first open?

According to Mardens.com, the family-owned business was founded in 1964 by Harold "Mickey" Marden.

After going to auctioneer's school in Iowa, Marden returned to Maine and began facilitating local events. Eventually, he purchased a small auction house in Fairfield.

After obtaining his retail license, the auction house became the site of the original Marden's.

While the Fairfield Marden's no longer exists, there is a Marden's location in neighboring Waterville.

How many Marden's locations are there?

Marden's has 14 locations.

Their website calls them 14 "unique" locations and says each store is a little different, with different merchandise and deals.

Here's a look at where the stores are located.

• Biddeford
• Brewer
• Calais
• Ellsworth
• Farmington
• Gray
• Houlton
• Lewiston
• Lincoln
• Madawaska
• Presque Isle
• Sanford
• Scarborough
• Waterville

What will you find at Marden's?

Most of their items come from surplus, salvage, and overstock lots.

"I started a business with one simple philosophy: buy great stuff and sell it cheap."

- Mickey Marden

The company says their unique approach to inventory sourcing means you never know what you will find in a Marden's store.

Their locations sell everything from clothing to food, to footwear and flooring.

You can even get a mattress if it is time to take the old one to the dump.

Inventory differs from store to store, and what you find at one store on a given day may no longer be available at the same store the following day.

That's why they say, "I should have bought it when I saw it."

At the beginning of the article, I called Marden's "totally Maine."

I said that because there are certain stores, past and present, that make many Mainers think of their home state.

For me, businesses like Renys, LaVerdiere's, and Hammond Lumber do just that.

Marden's is no different.