I’d like to say the thought of dollar stores once repulsed me, but I’d be lying.

The first time I went to one, I couldn’t believe my good fortune, and promptly filled my shopping basket with all sorts of stuff I didn’t need – trinkets, candles, ribbon, questionably scented bubble baths, day-glo potpourri and the like. I was amazed at what a dollar could buy.

So imagine how I felt when my best friend brought me to a dollar store in Canada – it didn’t just have a better selection, the exchange worked out in my favor. I now fondly refer to it and its counterparts as “the 67-cent store.”

But until recently, Bangor-area dollar stores seemed to lose their appeal to me. It started when some of them started charging more than $1 for similarly chintzy merchandise. I still went to buy gift bags, wrap, tissue paper and ribbons, but there didn’t seem to be anything to put in them. I mean, I couldn’t even find stocking stuffers or gag gifts. Then, overnight it seemed, almost all of them went out of business.

Several months later, just as suddenly, they returned like tulips in the springtime. And people kept telling me the new generation of dollar stores were better, cleaner, brighter and more logically organized. I shrugged off their praise until a Coach bag-carrying member of my circle of friends insisted that I go to Dollar Tree in Brewer.

It completely changed her opinion of dollar stores, she said, and besides, they had brand name cleaners and food products – Tide laundry detergent, Hunt’s tomato sauce, Reynolds wrap. My interest was piqued.

So I went. And I spent.

Since I only had $2 in my pocket (I stupidly forgot that most of these places only take cash), I couldn’t get in too much trouble. I passed on the Hunt’s because you can get that cheaper at Shaw’s. And I didn’t see Fantastik, but I did find both Awesome! and Fabulous!

I ended up buying a bottle of Softsoap hand cleaner for about half the price I normally pay and a raku-esque Vietnamese pottery vase. I couldn’t believe my luck. It looked like something out of a chic florist’s shop. And it was only a buck.

Next, I went to the ATM, because I figured it was high time to check out the other shops in the area. I heard the Dollar Zone had opened in the Broadway Plaza in Bangor, and since that was my former favorite, I headed there first.

I felt joy that rivaled my first visit to Marden’s. This place had jewelry – not tacky fake gold, but cute necklaces from Express and Dress Barn. They also had clothes for $1. I skipped the blouses, but I did pick up a soft fleece scarf. I also found a Burberry knockoff that was more convincing than most of the ones I’ve seen on the street. And in the glasswares aisle, I grabbed oil and vinegar cruets that looked like something out of Crate and Barrel. Very stylish. As a bonus, this place took credit cards.

So do the Dollar Zone stores at the Airport Mall and the Bangor Mall, which have a similar mix of items. The Broadway location is still my favorite, though. At the Airport Mall, I also checked out the new, huge Dollar Tree, which is like the one in Brewer but with a wider selection of gift bags, old-school toys, more personal hygiene products, such as Yardley soaps, and more glassware.

If you ever need to set your table quickly and inexpensively, go to Dollar Tree in Bangor, Orono or Brewer. They all have a wonderful array of good-looking plates and bowls, pub-style drinking glasses, stemware, coffee mugs and the like. The only thing I’d skip is the flatware, which is flimsy, but what do you expect for a dollar?

All dollar stores also shine in the vase and candle department. Need a simple glass votive holder? A cylindrical vase and marbles to secure the stems? An apple-pie-scented jar candle? They’ve got it.

But you’ll be surprised at what else you can find. At Dollar Tree in Orono, they have a good selection of craft items, scrapbooking supplies and photo albums. At Dollar Tree in Bangor, I found Yardley soaps, Colgate toothpaste and Palmolive dish soap. Dollar Zone stores even sell clothes, for crying out loud.

The best part is, even if I go wild at one of these stores, I’m only out a few bucks. I’m sold. To the lowest bidder, for once.

Reader question

Dear ShopGirl,

Can you tell me where I could find size 16 soccer cleats for my son? I need to find someplace that makes customized cleats. From everything I have found out by looking on the Web and talking with a Nike rep, the major shoe manufacturers do not make cleats for soccer any larger than a size 15. Any help you can supply would be greatly appreciated.

– Joan M. Hanscom

Dear Joan,

I asked the one person I knew could help: my brother-in-law, a UMaine basketball player whose shoe collection rivals my own. He suggested visiting the Eastbay Web site at www.eastbay.com, or dealing directly with Nike’s corporate office. You may need to have them custom-made.

Eastbay has football cleats by Nike and baseball cleats by Adidas in a size 16, but I’m not sure whether or not your son can use those for soccer.

I hope this helps!

ShopGirl would love to hear from you! Send questions, comments or suggestions by e-mail to: kandresen@bangordailynews.net, by U.S. mail to: Kristen Andresen, P.O. Box 1329, Bangor, ME 04402-1329, or by fax to: 941-9476. Tune in to ShopGirl at 5 p.m. Fridays on WLBZ-2.