In the age of AI, L.L. Bean is betting big on brick-and-mortar shopping

When you step into the newly renovated L.L. Bean flagship, the first thing you see isn’t the brand’s latest collection of field coats or duck boots. It’s fish. As you cross the threshold of the 160,000-square-foot store in Freeport, Maine, you’re greeted by massive, multilevel aquariums stocked with native Maine trout; instructors from the company’s nearby outdoor education center conduct fly-fishing demonstrations. As you climb the entryway’s grand staircase, there’s a pond exhibit featuring acrylic view ports where children—and curious adults—can pop their heads inside a glass bubble to come nose-to-nose with a trout. [Photo: courtesy L.L. Bean] “We’ve concentrated all of our efforts on creating just a one-of-a-kind, must-visit retail destination,” says Greg Elder, L.L. Bean’s CEO, who takes me on a tour of the new location. “We want customers to go home with the satisfaction of thinking: I didn’t just buy something that solves a problem in my life. I learned something, I experienced something, I got to do something.” This flagship is more than a store; it’s an amusement park, nearly as big as three football fields. With this $50 million investment, L.L. Bean is signaling that t…