yarmouthport – Yarmouth Chamber of Commerce

Holiday Shopping: Gifting Outside the Box

We’ve all been there. As the days draw shorter and colder the autumn begins to slip away from us, and before we know it our pumpkin spice and bright foliage give way to peppermint sticks and frost just when we have begun to recover from our turkey and stuffing comas. As the winter holidays sneakily but steadily approach, our calendars fill up with family get-togethers and end-of-year celebrations with friends and colleagues. Our children begin their wish lists of newly advertised games and gadgets, (that will inevitably wind up at the bottom of the toy box by the new year), and they remind us of the gifts they need for their teachers, friends, and bus driver. Our Great-Aunt has decided on a last-minute Yankee Swap. Our parents, notoriously hard to shop for, tell us not to worry about them and that they don’t need a thing. Seemingly in cahoots with St. Nicholas, Father Time does his work and the second week of December hurries upon us when we aren’t looking.

Black Friday deals have come and gone, and as what is arguably the most shopped holiday of the year draws near, parking lots become scarce. Storefronts that brim with holy and fir garlands of bells and lights accommodate patrons who fill the aisles, busily surveying for the best deal. While the festive tunes and snowy afternoons may put us in the mood for spiced egg nog and gift-wrapping by the fire, we don’t always have the perfect gift in mind, and we don’t always have the time or luck to drive all over to look for the very perfect thing. What if our favorite people are minimalists? What if our kids just don’t have the space on their shelves for another football or Lego set? What do you get that special someone who has it all? What is a Secret Santa to do?

Gift Baskets can be thoughtfully personalized in countless ways to surprise your giftee, and on any budget. Selecting the “basket” is the first step. Make sure your gift-holding vessel of choice is big enough for cushioning material on the bottom, (tissue, shredded paper, confetti- the possibilities are endless!), and 5-7 items for a robust and visually attractive presentation. For a more customized gift choose a basket and filler that can be used as part of the gift. To finish, wrap the basket in a coordinating color of cellophane and ribbon. Want to support local businesses? Here are some gift ideas that you won’t need to leave the Yarmouth area for!

Gift Ideas from Local Yarmouth Businesses

Wicked Thrift and Pop Rock Vintage, in South Yarmouth, was Cape Cod’s best of the best winner for 2022, boasting new arrivals daily, all year-round. Featuring vintage and designer clothing, shoes, jewelry, and accessories, Wicked Thrift is an exhilarating shop to peruse the racks for that rare find. Or you can shop online for local pickup or discount shipping! A vintage handbag containing jewelry and a gift card will certainly put a smile on the faces of your fashionista friends. Can’t narrow down your choices for that special someone? Electronic and traditional gift cards are available for online and in-store use. You can visit Wicked Thrift Thursday through Saturday 10 am- 6 pm, and Sundays 11 am- 4 pm. Wicked Thrift, 1094 Route 28, South Yarmouth MA 02664. Phone: 508-648-5902

Old King’s Coffeehouse, established in 2019 is open 7 am – 3 pm year-round 7 days a week. A coffee mug containing a t-shirt and gift will energize the coffee lover in your life. Old King’s Coffeehouse, 44 Route 28, West Yarmouth, MA 02673. Phone: 774-470-5808

Ritual is your one-stop shop for the spiritual soul in your life. A small cast iron cauldron can be stuffed with an assortment of crystals, incense cones, talismans, and oracles. Gift cards are available to your pal to register for a workshop, or pick the goodies that speak to their soul. Ritual Cape Cod, 939 MA-6A Unit B, Yarmouth Port, MA 02675. Phone: 774-994-8358

Gift an Experience in Cape Cod

Experiences are a hot gift-giving trend this year, for recipients of all ages! Prolonging the excitement of the season with the promise of a fun experience can be even more valuable than the trinkets and consumables that are more traditionally chosen as gifts. It’s the perfect treat for the loved one in your life that has it all! You don’t have to travel far and wide to gift an experience, nor does your giftee!

Ryan Amusements has locations on Cape and beyond for bowling and games. The South Yarmouth location offers bowling, cornhole, and for those over 18 years old- axe throwing! Special offers are available at select locations, and of course, gift cards are perfect for stocking stuffers for the whole family! Ryan Amusements, 1067 Route 28, S. Yarmouth, MA 02664. Phone: 508-394-5644

Cape Cod Gymnastics offers classes for kids of all skill levels in various sessions throughout the year. Register your child for 2022 Holiday Vacation Mini Flips Tuesday, Dec 27th through Friday, Dec 30th, and keep them busy during vacation! Cape Cod Gymnastics, 5 Corporation Rd – Yarmouth Port, MA 02675. Phone: (508) 744-7751

Whydah Pirate Museum is hosting children’s events during the last week in December and Saturdays in January and is included with admission. Gift certificates and cards are available for ticket purchase and the gift store. Take a look at the calendar and plan a visit! Whydah Pirate Museum, 674 MA-28, West Yarmouth, MA 02673. Phone: 508-534-9571

Cultural Center of Cape Cod’s mission is “to serve the entire Cape community and visitors to the area by offering instruction, entertainment, and exhibition in the visual, literary, and performing arts.” Buy tickets for the Winter Magic Antiques Show, or treat someone special to an upcoming class for them to discover a new hobby, or learn techniques for an existing favorite! Upcoming classes include Pastel Painting: Still Life and Interiors-Painting the familiar with Betsy Payne Cook, Introduction to Wheelthrowing, with Holly Heaslip, and “The Art Spirit” with Susan Overstreet. Winter Magic: A Quality Antiques Show on Sunday, January 1, 2023, from 10 AM – 3 PM. Cultural Center of Cape Cod, 307 Old Main St, South Yarmouth, MA 02664. Phone: 508-394-7100

Happy Shopping and Happy Holidays!

This blog is funded through the Town of Yarmouth’s Tourism Revenue Preservation Fund.

Photo credit: Britt Skinner

(Britt Skinner is a freelance writer.)

Making magick at Ritual

Unassumingly tucked away in a small commercial plaza off Rt. 6A lies in wait for a hidden gem- unlikely to be found by accident, and likely just what you didn’t know what you are looking for until you find it. That was true even for owner Holly Lemieux, when she established Ritual in May of 2021 after selling her popular boutique in Hyannis in pursuit of new endeavors. Having planned to take some time off to regroup in between projects, the universe- as it sometimes does- delivered just the right set of circumstances, and within a month Ritual found its home in Yarmouth Port.

Natural wooden shelving displays a wide variety of USDA, FDA-certified organic, and ethically wildcrafted dried herbs.

A string of bells jingle as two women enter the shop, and Holly is summoned from the firepit out back where she had been chatting with Meghan Hamilton, a Tarot reader and medium who does readings and Spell Consultations by appointment and walk-in on Fridays. Holly greets and invites her guests to browse to their spirit’s content through the ethereal collection of pewter and ceramic bowls brimming with skeleton keys and polished rings of hematite. Books of spellcasting and potions, meditations, and prayers span the rooms, intermingled with a wide array of oracle cards and idols, incense cones, and bottled bones. A full corner of the shop hosts shelves upon shelves of glass bottles of various dried resins and dried herbs, including some that are harder to source, and used for magical purposes- like Blue, White, Red, and Sacred Lotus.

“We are open to all practices and paths. We try to have material, books or ephemera to everybody who walks through our door.” -Holly, Owner of Ritual

Perhaps surprisingly, is Holly’s down to Earth approach to the otherworldy. “I like being able to change people’s conception of things,” describing how people unfamiliar with metaphysical things can perceive them as scary. “Either way we are all making meatloaf. Just using a different recipe,” she explains, and as such, she advises her patrons to let their individual intuition be the guide for which crystal, deck, or talisman to select. One woman approaches the counter with a handblown glass wand, an opaline bracelet, and a shiny piece of black tourmaline. Her friend, unable to choose between her narrowed-down selection of beaded gemstone bracelets, decides to go with all four; black onyx, rainbow fluorite, clear and rose quartz, and a bag of loose white sage. They talk amongst each other about scheduling a card reading as they exit the way they came in, past the one item in the store that is not for sale. A huge amethyst geode made to resemble a shark with its large googly eyes, aptly named Bruce.

Handmade and Artisan Products in Cape Cod

Ritual proudly offers handmade and artisan products crafted by local artists and practitioners on Cape Cod and nearby communities and is hosting its 2nd annual Salty Witches Samhain Market on October 30th.

Other upcoming events can be found on the website, including Psychic Readings with Kris on Tuesdays, Tarot, and Oracle on Wednesdays, and Energy Healing on Thursdays with Molly. Register for Conscious Creation, a 4 Week Intuitive Writing Workshop beginning November 4th. Jerry Marchand will share his knowledge of rare crystal and mineral specimens on November 12th, with 5% of the proceeds of his sales to benefit the Dakin Humane Society. Be sure to check the website and Facebook for updates and new events, including big news at the end of December!

Ritual is located at 939 Rt. 6A, Unit B
Yarmouth Port, MA 02675.
(774) 994-8358
ritualcapecod@gmail.com
ritualcapecod.com

This blog is funded through the Town of Yarmouth’s Tourism Revenue Preservation Fund.

Photo credit: Britt Skinner

(Britt Skinner is a freelance writer.)

Thacher Hall, A Hidden Gem in Plain Sight

Thacher Hall in Cape Cod — *Thacher Hall*

On Old King’s Highway among centennial Yarmouthport buildings such as the Edward Gorey House and Benjamin Thacher Gorham House, sits what architect Sarah Jane Porter calls “the most significant historic public structure of its period on Cape Cod.” Boston architect Samuel Thayer designed the building formerly known as the Church of the New Jerusalem in 1870, constructed by John Hinckley, with towering gothic arches, and stained glass windows. The church was originally the spiritual home to Swedenborgian Christians, (a popular denomination of its time), and was congregated for about a hundred years until the number of parishioners dwindled too low to maintain the edifice, and it fell into devastating disrepair.

In 1998 when Cape Cod community members, who wanted to see the property reinvented as a community center, organized The Yarmouth New Church Preservation Foundation, a local board of volunteer directors purchased the former church building for $1 and began the mission to breathe new life into the old bones of the building and utilize it as a community center. Sorely needed renovations continue to be primarily funded by donations, ticket sales, and the yearly contributions of the Friends of the Yarmouth New Church Preservation Foundation. Since then, the foundation has brought the building up to current fire codes and handicapped accessibility, improved water, and electrical services, and updated the sound and lighting systems.

A Great Place to Visit in Cape Cod

The carefully renovated belltower and belfry preserve the ethereal beauty and soul of the place, and the restored original stained-glass windows and frescoed walls overlook the original tracker pipe organ. Adding to its attention-drawing uniquely exquisite character are pews crafted of American Chestnut, a hardwood that became functionally extinct after a catastrophic blight in the early 20^th century.

However, even with all the restorations, a new roof, and a fresh coat of paint to broadcast its readiness to be a part of the community as a whole, the building is still frequently mistaken for a church. A common misconception that was perpetuated by the old name, The New Church. On June 26, 2022, after plans were temporarily halted by the COVID19 pandemic, the building was rebranded as Thacher Hall at a dedication ceremony by the foundation and members of the Cape Cod community.

Live Music in Cape Cod Thacher Hall — *Live music with Blu Central & Greg Hischak*

Yarmouth resident and foundation Event Manager, Victoria Krukowski, explains that while the beautiful building’s allure contains the staples, and ambiance of a gorgeous old church, it no longer holds any religious affiliations, and is the perfect venue for local artists to display galleries of their work in a place that according to her feels like taking a step back in time. Having a career background as a musician with the symphony orchestra, she appreciates how the rustic space carries soulful acoustics, and she deeply admires the historical artifacts and quirky intricacies that Thacher Hall offers a remarkable choice for private and community events.

Previous events have included Open Mic Nights, weddings, memorial services, the Cape Cod Chamber Orchestra, Haunted Octobers, and Christmas Strolls. Since 2020 it has been used as a community art center. Planned Events and availability can be found on the website, and they can be reached by phone at 508-744-7368, and by Email at events@yarmouthportcommon.org.

Thacher Hall invites you to attend a Historic 1870 Organ Demonstration and Concert at 2 pm on Sunday, August 7th, 2022, where you can learn the history of the organ, see how the organ is built, and hear it played by Dr. Mark Lawlor, of the American Guild of Organists of Cape Cod and the islands. This family-friendly event is free to attend.

Thacher Hall is located at 266 Route 6A (Main Street), in Yarmouthport.

This blog is funded through the Town of Yarmouth’s Tourism Revenue Preservation Fund.

Photo credits: Britt Skinner and William DeSousa-Mauk

(Britt Skinner is a freelance writer.)