Cant say I'm much of a fan of having a gold boot engraved on my receiver.
Having frequented the flagship store may times, I think their gun room is a joke. I'd hit KTP or Cabela's first.
The two undoubted advantages in the gun room in Bean's Freeport store are (a) it never closes and (b) they carry RST short-chamber shells (and in 12, 16 and 20 and a couple shot sizes), which neither Cabelas nor KTP do. You
might find some Gamebores or similar at Cabelas, occasionally, but it would be pure luck that you got there before the quota sold out. KTP says they carry short-chamber low pressure shells (offhand I forget which brand, but it ain't RST) but I've never seen them there.
I think they have Mr. Bean's DHE on display in the gun room area - it's on an oversized stair landing with a couple comfortable chairs. He had it made with a cross-eyed stock. His CHE was up for sale on GI or GA at a ridiculous price earlier this winter.
As to the clothes - I went to college when the "preppy look" was in fashion and I saw more girls wearing ankle high Bean boots than I could count, then or now. I'm presently working in DC on a temporary gig and it's kinda funny the looks my field coat gets when I'm casual, on the weekend. I mean, its not badly worn and I
did wash it before I came down (I got the partridge blood off the pocket, even), but it's got enough field wear and tear that it's impossible to pass it off as the faux barn coat politicians and style-conscious folks wear.
But, the fact is, Bean's does not make their money in Maine. The consensus view among Mainers is that they lose money on Maine customers. Of course, Mainers take advantage of things like boot repairs and such, too.
