We do get the latest fashions here, but Cape clothing stores are especially strong in classic designs and offbeat clothes just right for artistic-minded people. We've got gourmet shops, jewelers, outdoor shops, shoe stores, bookshops, and wonderful gift shops. Many of our gift shops double as galleries, making it easy to find that special, one-of-a-kind wall hanging, basket, vase, or planter. (If you're in the market for art, be sure to check our Arts chapter for galleries.)

Shopping on the Cape is an adventure. It's also a personal, pleasant experience with friendly shopkeepers and clerks just as likely to strike up a conversation about the weather or current events as the latest fashions or home decor. In a tight-knit economic community, shopkeepers and business people present a united front, so that the lady at the plant shop will recommend the potter down the street, who'll tell you about the stained-glass artist next door, who'll send you to the fabric shop in the next town over.

There are a few sizeable retail centers besides Cape Cod Mall, which completed a massive renovation in 2000. Busy Mass. Rt. 132 in Hyannis is also home to three shopping plazas right nearby. On the Upper Cape, the open-air Mashpee Commons, now with more than 90 shops plus several banks and 11 eateries, is a beautifully designed area that makes shopping a pleasure. In Falmouth, there's the Falmouth Mall with 20 stores and the Cape Cod Children's Museum (see our Kidstuff chapter). While these large centers certainly come in handy--and sometimes you're just in the mood for a mall-type shopping experience--some of our happiest hours have been spent ducking in and out of Main Street shops in towns such as Chatham, Orleans, and Sandwich. And don't miss downtown Hyannis, which has some great shops that some people overlook because they're concentrating on the large retail hubs on Mass. Rt. 132. The village of Osterville has its own little downtown. On the north side of the Cape, Barnstable Village, West Barnstable and Sandwich all offer some great shops. Sandwich's lovely Main Street is lined with plenty of shops you can walk to, and Woods Hole is another quaint area you should check out if you're in the Upper Cape area. Yarmouthport has a quiet Main Street on Mass. Rt. 6A, with a cluster of stores and antique shops in one central area.

For a really different shopping experience, spend a day in Provincetown, where Commercial Street is as funky and colorful as Greenwich Village--only with a small-town, seaside flavor. This is the place to go for the offbeat and the outrageous, along with the artistic and spiritual. But don't forget to wear good walking shoes: it can take a good portion of the day just to get from one end of Commercial Street to the other! Wellfleet has a nice downtown, with an emphasis on galleries mixed with a few choice shops. Eastham's shopping scene is a bit scattered geographically, but worthwhile shops abound. They're just not all in one place, so you do need a car.

Orleans is the real retail hub of the Lower Cape. Many residents of surrounding towns come here regularly to do their grocery shopping, pick up dry cleaning, buy flowers, and just shop. It's the kind of town where you're bound to run into someone you know, and even if you don't, you'll get the same warm, comfortable feeling because it's such a friendly town. It has a nice downtown area where you can park your car and stroll down the brick-paved sidewalks.

Chatham is also a great walking town, though there are shops beyond the downtown area you may want to drive to. Main Street Chatham has a genteel, relaxed feel--no hustle-bustle here. In summer, spend a Friday afternoon browsing on Main Street, and hang on to your parking space so you can stay for the outdoor concert on the green! Harwich is sprawling, with shops all along Mass. Rt. 28 and in other areas of town. Harwichport is a good place to start, because much of it is walkable. Brewster, likewise, has a couple of little centers, with a cluster of shops near The Brewster General Store (which is itself a must-see), another cluster a mile or so east (including the Brewster Book Store) and, to the west, the Lemon Tree complex of shops (which we recommend you check out).

Shopkeepers accept many forms of payment--cash, personal checks (with proper ID), travelers' checks and credit cards--and the Cape Cod Cooperage in Harwich will even accept regulator clocks, cattle, and roll-top desks (or so the sign near the cash register says!). Not all shops take all credit cards, but most accept at least one or two.