There are a lot of things we miss about our college days.

The friendships. The freedom. The classes.

The ability to shop for ALL THE THINGS in our college bookstore.

Who has the Fighting Raspberry spirit? We do, we do! Um, still. And all through our closets. Those college T-shirts, sweatshirts and baseball caps have lasted a surprisingly long time.

With school starting again, we wondered whether college bookstores had changed much. Are their shelves stocked only with iPads and wireless headphones? Wait, do they even have shelves? Are they just pop-up-filled websites with free shipping when you spend over $50?

Rejoice! Turns out, college bookstores are still (mostly) real stores, still bastions of the logo hat/T-shirt/banner. But now they have flip-flops and yoga pants, too.

Because school spirit never gets old. (Or, apparently, tired of the beach.)

Go Raspberries! 

• Flip-flops, Central Maine Community College, $8.50

Unlike the plastic sandals you’ll find at dollar stores, these are sturdy-looking, fabric-thonged and give a shout-out to the CMCC Mustangs. That’s foot-school pride right there.

• Infinity scarf, Central Maine Community College, $19

Delicate off-white and French blue with a sweet pattern and one solid CMCC on it. Very job-interview professional or date-perfect if you’re going to Fuel, Fish Bones American Grill or Davinci’s Eatery. It might be too much for McDonald’s — but we’re not going to judge.

• Go Bobcats onesie, Bates College online store, $18.99

In Bates maroon, with “Bates” emblazoned in white across the chest and “Go Bobcats” along the bum. Sure, occasionally that region is, uh, stuffed with school spirit, but our winner for adorableness — Bates baby booties with a regal bobcat image on the toes — are sold out. So onesie it is! Maybe just make sure Baby hasn’t tried any new foods recently before putting it on her for pictures. (FYI, we hit Bates’ online store for speed and covertness only; they have a brick and mortar on Campus Avenue.)

• Bates silk bow tie, Bates College online, $26.99

Silk maroon bow tie dotted with teeny tiny bobcats inside teeny tiny Bs. Geeky and fun, plus a side of dressy “you should hire me.”

• Spectrum pediatric stethoscope in burgundy, Maine College of Health Professions’ online store, $176.25

So it’s not exactly a “Go team!” T-shirt, but it does give us a whole new appreciation for the cost of a nursing student’s stethoscope. And if you’re going to be the proud owner of one, why not go burgundy?

• Huskies hoodie, University of Southern Maine’s online store, $35.99

Navy blue and very weekend-lounging or game-day friendly.

So, funny story. Bag Lady and Shopping Siren tried to visit the University of Southern Maine’s Lewiston-Auburn College bookstore in person this week and . . . we couldn’t find it. We followed the signs in the hallways. We tracked door numbers. We kept our eyes peeled. And then we had this actual conversation:

BL: Maybe it’s like Harry Potter’s Platform 9 3/4?

SS: I’m not running into any walls.

• USM metal bike bell, University of Southern Maine’s online store, $14.99

Attach to your grown-up handlebars or the tricycle handlebars of a future-graduate-in-training for a satisfying bringbring! As with so many things in life, we’re just amazed these exist.

Best find: Plaid cotton pajama pants, Central Maine Community College, $18

Printed with the college name going up the side, in pinks, greens and blues. Soft, comfy and generally great for lounging while busting out homework. Not that we’ve done homework in a while. But if we were to, it would be infinitely more pleasurable wearing these.

Think twice: Bates Bobcats Japanese chopsticks, Bates College online store, $6.99

Chopsticks with “Bates Bobcats” written on one end. Nice, but chopsticks? Too much work. We’d rather use a fork — that’s the way of the Fighting Raspberries.

Bag Lady and Shopping Siren’s true identities are protected by a pair of stylish, sweater-wearing Doberman pinschers (who still have the collars they got in obedience school) and the Customer Service counter at the Sun Journal. You can reach them at baglady@sunjournal.com and shoppingsiren@sunjournal.com.

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