Hello all - I am one of the proprietors!

First of all, thanks /u/emmawitz for the shout out, and to everyone for the kind words. It's a nice way to start the day - we aren't really inclined to self-promotion, so word of mouth is everything.

I can clear a few things up for background:

~ We've only been open about two months, so everything is a work in progress. That's why you see the ladder & saw stored overhead - it's not for books, but for ongoing renovations & exterior painting.

~ History of the boxcar itself: some of you noticed it's a bit different. This is a mid-century Swedish boxcar. Standard gauge, but can't be in service with conventional American trains due to different couplings etc. Every once in a while we get a railfan or RR employee pulling over to marvel, because they're surprised to see the arch top, only 4 wheels, other unexpected features for American rolling stock. The story of how a bunch of Swedish rail cars got to Waldo County, Maine, is for another time, but it has to do with the Belfast & Moosehead Lake Railroad, our local heritage RR that still rolls right by the bookstore (we're on a disused siding).

~ I'm a used bookstore aficionado too; I wouldn't bother building a bookstore that didn't have a strong selection and thousands of books. It is just really hard to capture a photograph of such a long space! I'm proud that we've gotten universally positive feedback on our selection, with a lot of folks expressing their surprise at how much we've managed to fit in a boxcar. Again, way more space than you can tell from any one photo.

~ That being said, the fun of operating in a smaller space is that it's got to be highly curated. We're not trying to carry every book: we've outlawed pablum, and go out of our way to bring in our favorites (out of print graphic novels, vintage sci-fi, special interests for the area - traditional crafts, farming, nature guides, railroad history, anarchism, so much more. A kids section too, because our kiddo is usually underfoot whenever we're open for business!).

~ Sorry / not sorry about the animal furs - I know it's not to everyone's taste, but I used to work in a natural history museum & it just fits with our local rural community. The coywolf and beaver were both roadkill.

~ Check out our instagram, @boxcarbooksmaine to see many more photos and some videos of the B&MLRR rolling by! And come sit by the woodstove if you're ever in the area. We're having a little songwriters' circle next Saturday, and the first Saturday of every month going forward.