Milling Around

Our Story

HOURS: Open by chance or appointment
MOST OFTEN: Mon-Fri 10-4 and Sat 10-2
Call to confirm: 207-563-1210

Since 1975, our mission has been to transform pieces of mill history into fun and functional treasures. As the idea of “reduce, reuse and recycle” has become a part of our culture, bobbins and other textile artifacts have lent themselves to enhancing our style and decor. Milling Around has up-cycled forgotten pieces of our past into charming candlesticks, nostalgic jump ropes, as well as intriguing pens and kaleidoscopes. As our matriarch once said, “Bobbins are seasoned workers in dignified retirement.”

Milling Around is a retail/wholesale company with an eclectic shop in downtown Newcastle, Maine. Housed in a gambrel building on Main Street (previously a service station circa 1938) and graced by its landmark red, vintage British telephone booth.

Formerly known as Ma's Bobbin Works, the wholesale business has been selling textile artifacts for over 40 years. Branching into retail in 2014, it now offers a mix of antiques, collectibles and gifts under the name Milling Around, the moniker used by owner Dirk Poole while running his bobbin cart in Boston's Fanueil Hall/Quincy Marketplace three decades ago.

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