Flying off the shelves of Vintage Harmoni’s booth at the Maine on Main Flea Market in Lewiston are so-called “jewelry jars” — old-fashioned canning jars filled with colorful and sparkling collections of costume jewelry. Assembled in Monmouth, they start at $15.

Just down the aisle, Home Spun & Spice of Sabattus is selling handcrafted room sprays in holiday scents such as Winter Evergreen and Cinnamon Spice for $10 each. And if you’re lucky, you might find a ceramic lighted tabletop Christmas tree or a vintage wool sweater.

“People are always looking for 100% wool sweaters,” flea market owner Sarah Legare said. “As soon as we get them in, they’re gone.”

Opened last year, the flea market is an extension of Legare’s EllieAnna Gift Shop at 785 Main St. Together they offer 10,000 square feet of new, used and handcrafted items sold by more than 30 vendors. They’re busier than ever this time of year, she said, especially as people look to save money in an uncertain economy.

Legare’s 12-year-old enterprise is one of many resale shops, thrift stores and antiques malls across Maine that can make gift-buying more affordable, sustainable, personal and fun — particularly amid rising first-run retail prices, fluctuating tariffs and disrupted supply chains.

They’re also responding to growing trends to buy used and buy local, including handcrafted and vintage Christmas decorations and upcycled multimedia art pieces. Sellers say unique fashions and home goods pulled from grandma’s attic, known as “grandmacore” or granny chic, are popular now. Refurbished old furniture, vintage linens and anything brass are also in demand.

While other brick-and-mortar retail businesses struggle, resale shops have experienced 7% growth each of the last two years, with more than 20,000 shops nationwide generating about $15 billion in annual revenue, according to the National Association of Resale & Thrift Shops. State-level data were unavailable.

Many areas are seeing resale stores opening near each other, as antiques shops and factory outlet stores have done for decades, the association stated on its website. Shoppers have responded, proving that consumers will travel farther to reach a cluster of similar stores.

“Resale has become destination shopping,” the association stated. “Resalers love to make an event out of shopping in an area where (customers) can visit a variety of resale stores with different merchandise lines.”

RESALE CLUSTER IN WINTHROP

One cluster of resale shops has cropped up in recent years in Winthrop, near Augusta, including Freckle Salvage Co., Becky’s Second Time Around, Route 202 Antiques & Flea Market and Main Street Mercantile Co.

“More is always better,” said Nicki Stanford, who operates Freckle Salvage with her husband, Jesse. Like Legare, she described the experience of resellers working together as collaboration rather than competition.

Located in a former post office at 129 Main St., Freckle Salvage features new and vintage gifts, home furnishings and locally handcrafted items from over 30 vendors. Shoppers can find books, cards, pottery, stained glass, furniture and clothing, as well as candy, pickles and other locally produced food items.

“There’s something for everyone at every price point,” Nicki Stanford said. “We have a mini bar with items for $1 to $5 each. This morning we sold a vintage ceramic lighted Christmas tree for $125.”

The Stanfords also host The Vault, a monthly vintage market held next door in a former textile mill, where more than 20 additional vendors set up for the weekend events.

Vendors at The Vault curate their booths around a different theme each month, such as “Upta Camp” or “Vacationland.” The theme for The Vault on Dec. 13-14 will be “Home for the Holidays.”

“Many of our customers are looking for that one thing that nobody else has,” Stanford said. “They want to give a gift that’s special, unique and personal.”

Digital platforms such as Etsy, eBay, Poshmark and Facebook Marketplace have normalized buying and selling all kinds of used and homemade items online. At the same time, more people are open to — some even prefer — giving and receiving vintage and handcrafted gifts.

Heather Neal, of Turner, is a regular shopper at Freckle Salvage and The Vault. She was at the shop recently, buying a few holiday gifts for loved ones and a package of cranberry white chocolate scone mix for herself.

“It’s made by The Scone Goddess in Northport,” Neal said. “It’s very good.”

Neal said she likes the combination of creative and antiques vendors at Freckle Salvage and The Vault. Memorable past purchases include a personalized cribbage board she got for her brother and a vintage table runner she bought for herself.

“I try to stop by every couple months to see what’s changed and what’s new,” she said.

Just up the street at Main Street Mercantile, owner Darlene Steele offers an eclectic mix of items carefully curated to appeal to a wide variety of interests, styles and incomes.

Steele is a creative artist with an expert eye for classic clothing and accessories that are wearable across the decades, especially from the 1960s and 1970s. She also sells a wide variety of home decor, kitchen items, Christmas decorations and pieces she upcycles as mixed-media art.

Steele said her customers span every generation and increasingly say they want to shop locally and sustainably, intentionally seeking quality used items to keep out of the waste stream. A group of teens swooped in to buy vintage clothing for Halloween costumes.

For people planning to give food or beverages as holiday gifts, she suggests stopping by her shop at 220 Main St. for a pair of mid-century rocks glasses to go with a bottle of scotch or a pretty vintage mixing bowl to hold homemade Christmas cookies.

NEW ITEMS ADDED DAILY

Even upscale resale shops are trying to meet the needs of all shoppers this season, including Heirloom Consignment in South Portland.

The store at 161 Ocean St. is under new ownership and building on a 12-year tradition of offering high-end, brand-name furniture, decor and home goods at more affordable prices. While gently used sofas are priced over $1,000, sets of wine glasses are under $15.

“We try to have something for everybody,” General Manager Erin Eddy said. “We’re always looking for unique pieces, and often they’re like-new or designer pieces.”

Since Carlos Toledo became the owner on Nov. 1, Eddy has begun to introduce new items among the resale offerings, including colorful throws and Maine-themed gifts as low as $10.

“We’re trying to curate items and give people an idea of what they can look like in their home,” Eddy said.

Heirloom sells items on behalf of their original owners, who receive 50% of the selling price. Under the consignment agreement, prices are reduced 20% after 30 days and 50% after 60 days.

“So if someone has their eye on something and they’re willing to take a risk, they can wait and get a better deal,” Eddy said. “And in this economy, we like to see people being able to afford quality pieces.”

But shoppers will want to weigh that risk because resale store owners and vendors try to price their merchandise to move, said Legare, owner of Maine on Main Flea Market in Lewiston.

“Our vendors change and restock their booths every few days, so our customers always have a lot of options and reasons to keep coming back,” Legare said. “It really does change every single day. You never know what you’re going to find.”