Maine’s oldest continuously operating consignment shop calls a converted commercial building on Auburn Street home, and it has been sourcing secondhand treasures for Portland shoppers since 1986. Cherished Possessions moved into its current space at 64 Auburn Street in late 2016, giving the business room to spread furniture, art, and housewares across a showroom big enough to feel like a small department store rather than a cramped back-alley shop. The location sits north of the Portland peninsula in a mixed residential and light-commercial stretch, convenient for shoppers coming from Deering, Falmouth, or the wider Route 302 corridor without having to fight downtown parking.
Walk through the door and the categories keep unfolding: original paintings, photography, and sculpture line the walls near dining sets, mid-century dressers, sectional couches, and writing desks. Jewelry cases sit near shelves of dinnerware, cookware, and china, while separate sections handle lighting fixtures and outdoor or garage-and-shed finds. A rotating clearance area and a frequently updated new-arrivals section reward repeat visits, since inventory turns over as fast as new consignments arrive. The shop leans into its identity as more than a typical consignment store, positioning itself as a source for pieces that are unique, aesthetically interesting, and still genuinely useful in a home.
What sets Cherished Possessions apart from a standard resale storefront is the scale of its consignment operation. The business works with thousands of individual consignors every year and also buys directly from estate cleanouts and auctions, which keeps the floor stocked with everything from single decorative pieces to entire household collections. Sellers who consign an item receive two-thirds of the eventual sale price, with the shop retaining a third to cover the work of pricing, displaying, and marketing the piece, a split that has helped the business build a loyal base of repeat consignors across Greater Portland. For anyone downsizing, settling an estate, or clearing out a family property, the store offers a dedicated estate-sale service alongside its everyday consignment intake, plus refurbishing and repurposing work for pieces that need a little help before they are ready for a new home.
Consigning is designed to be simple: prospective sellers submit photos for pre-approval, complete an online form, and sign a consignment agreement, with both in-store and off-site appointments available for larger jobs like full estate cleanouts. The shop also runs pickup and delivery service, which matters for anyone trying to move a heavy dresser or a dining table without renting a truck. A regular newsletter and a running Fresh Off the Truck blog post keep regular shoppers in the loop about new arrivals, sales events, and the kind of standout pieces that move quickly once they hit the floor.
Cherished Possessions is open Wednesday through Sunday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., closed Monday and Tuesday, and welcomes browsers as readily as serious furniture shoppers. Whether someone is furnishing a first apartment on a budget, hunting for a specific antique accent, or looking to responsibly sell off items from a loved one’s estate, the shop’s four decades of operation in the same market have made it a fixture of the Portland secondhand scene. Cherished Possessions is a long-established Portland, Maine consignment store known for its wide-ranging selection of furniture, art, and home decor sourced from thousands of local consignors and estate sales.
