Sam Harmon browsed records at Bull Moose in South Portland on Saturday morning, a squirrel-adorned tote bag from Boston’s Beacon Hill Books and Cafe swinging on her shoulder. 

She expertly thumbed her way through various records — though she is a Boston resident, attending Record Store Day in Maine is a tradition for Harmon and her friend, Wells resident Leanne Brennan. 

“We both love music,” Harmon said Saturday. “Some years, I find stuff I really want.” 

This year, Harmon browsed on Record Store Day simply for the fun of it. But when Brennan caught up to her in Bull Moose on Saturday, she was holding a couple of records: the soundtrack to George Clooney-fronted film “O Brother, Where Art Thou” and something by PeeWee Herman. 

Earlier in the day, Brennan had scored an exclusive record from Southern Gothic singer-songwriter Ethel Cain. 

“It was the last one left,” she said. “But I almost always find something.” 

Record Store Day in southern Maine was limited to the Bull Moose and Newbury Comics locations in South Portland, but that didn’t stop record enthusiasts. 

Early Saturday morning, one reporter headed to the South Portland Bull Moose. There, she met Michael and Tayler Wight, who lined up at 9:45 p.m. on Friday night. They were in search of the 7-inch “Elizabeth Taylor” record by Taylor Swift. 

At 11:45 p.m., Keith Clark, of Portland, lined up for exclusive releases from Stone Temple Pilots and the Cars. Bull Moose handed out numbered tickets about 7:45 a.m., and by 8 a.m., small groups were allowed in the store to shop exclusive Record Store Day releases.

Record Store Day, which began in 2007, was the brainchild of Chris Brown, vice president of finance at Bull Moose. It honors record stores across every continent except Antarctica, and it’s a way to celebrate physical, brick-and-mortar, independently owned record stores, said Carrie Colliton, marketing director at the Department of Record Stores, on Saturday.

All over the world, over 1,500 record stores partied on Saturday. Some brought in special releases, some hosted local bands and some, like the South Portland Bull Moose, let DJs spin records.

“It’s whatever the store wants the party to be,” Colliton said. 

Record Store Day also celebrates the people who work in and run record stores, the people who shop in record stores and the people who make the music stocked in record stores, she said. 

Artists of all genres release records for Record Store Day ahead of general sale, Colliton said, and some artists release Record Store Day-exclusive pieces. 

This year, Taylor Swift’s “Elizabeth Taylor” 7-inch exclusive vinyl record was a hot commodity, along with New England native Noah Kahan’s “The Great Divide.” 

But while some artists are more popular in certain states than others, Colliton said the goal of Record Store Day is to celebrate record stores themselves, not necessarily specific artists. 

More and more people are buying records, which is important for local brick-and-mortar stores, she said. 

“Physical music is seeing a resurgence,” Colliton said. “It’s great.” 

As records continue to surge as a popular form of buying music, Colliton said she hopes consumers don’t simply look to online retailers like Amazon to buy their records. 

“Anywhere that sells records is great, because we want people to buy records,” Colliton said. “But when you’re buying those records, we want you to focus on buying them from a local place.”