Do You Remember Buying Concert Tickets at This Department Store in Maine?

Thanks to the recent Ticket Act, Ticketmaster is now legally required to show you all ticket fees upfront when you buy concert and event tickets online. Instead of that moment at checkout when your $80 ticket magically turns into $122.75, you will now see the full damage immediately.

Before this law kicked in, if you wanted to avoid those extra fees, your best bet was to go old-school and buy tickets in person at the venue’s box office. But there was also a little-known, totally random loophole—one that existed in a place where you’d least expect it: Filene’s Basement at the Maine Mall.

Yes, the discount department store, best known for its high end goods at bargain-bin prices and chaotic shopping experiences, was once a go-to spot for concert tickets. You could be elbow-deep in a pile of designer sweaters, and right next to you? A ticket counter where you could score tickets to local concerts and events—without the dreaded “convenience” fees. It was like finding out your dentist also does oil changes.

The ticket counter was run by friendly employees who may or may not have been music experts. Did the sweet old lady behind the counter have any idea who Slipknot was? Probably not. But she could still sell you two tickets to their show while ringing up your discounted dress shirts.

It was a genius setup. Need a suit for a wedding? Why not grab Green Day tickets while you’re at it? Shopping for back-to-school clothes? Might as well snag some seats for an upcoming Bruins game.

Sadly, all good things must come to an end. Filene’s Basement closed its doors for good in 2006, another casualty of changing shopping habits and the internet’s relentless takeover. And with it, Maine lost one of the weirdest, most delightful ticket-buying experiences ever.

So, while the Ticket Act makes online purchases a little less painful, it still can’t replicate the thrill of scoring concert tickets next to a clearance rack of designer jeans. RIP, Filene’s Basement—we’ll never forget you.