Want to gift Cape Cod art? History? Jam? 12 museums can help with last-minute shopping
Supply shortages? Delayed shipping? Mailing costs? Gift-buyers can forget about all those holiday headaches by simply shopping local. The goods are here and Cape Cod businesses have the experts to help you pick the right gifts — even at the last minute.
Beyond stores, spots you might not have thought about shopping are museum stores, which can offer a win-win: buying creative, unusual gifts while also supporting cultural institutions.
What can you buy?
Art, pottery and jewelry by Cape Cod artisans. Books about area history. Unusual toys and puzzles. Local jam.
“Museums add so much to Cape Cod,” says Mary Taylor, program manager for the Cape Cod Museum Trail, which works with and promotes about 75 museums on the Cape and Islands. “Each of their stores is so different … because the museums are so unique.”
And while viewing an exhibit, attending an event or program, or taking a class might be on the radar of many local residents, the chance to shop at a museum doesn’t always register. Most of the shops are accessible to the public, without paying museum admission.
Cape Cod museums offer online shopping, too
“I think people forget (museum shops) are around and they’re a source for great gifts and a way to support local artists” as well as the institutions themselves, Taylor says.
If you can’t get to the stores, some Cape museums offer online shopping, too — for the holiday season or beyond — so it’s worth checking websites. Take a look at these ideas (listed in alphabetical order) and see others on the Museum Trail list at capecodmuseumtrail.com/museum-gift-store-curbside-pickup. If your favorite museum isn’t listed, Taylor recommends calling to find out whether its shop is open for business during this holiday season or you can shop online.
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Cape Cod Maritime Museum
Where: 135 South St., Hyannis
When: 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesdays through Saturdays year-round
Online shop: capecodmaritimemuseum.org/shop-1
What’s for sale: Maritime-themed books for children and adults; local handmade jewelry; nautical themed crafts.
Gift highlight: Lighthouse and nautical ornaments.
Cape Cod Museum of Art Shop
Where: 65 Hope Lane, Dennis
When: 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesdays through Saturdays and noon to 4 p.m. Sundays year-round
Online shopping: ccmoa.org/shop-online
What’s for sale: Gifts made by only local artists, including handmade jewelry, home décor, “Mittens and Mugs” (hand-knit mittens and handmade mugs), Cape Cod ornaments, original art, art books, toys, puzzles and notecards.
Gift highlights: “Lost and Found: Time, Tide and Treasures,” written by Amy Heller and Gail Browne, about beachcombing, Cape history, Provincetown and art that includes photos of collections and art of six Provincetown-connected artists. (A related exhibit is open at the museum through Jan. 2.) Also, precious-metal jewelry by Kim Rumberger that is eco-friendly, made from recycled silver, copper and bronze, and inspired by native plants from museum gardens.
Cape Cod Museum of Natural History
Where: 869 Main St. (Route 6A), Brewster
When: 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Wednesdays through Sundays throughDec. 19; and 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Dec. 27-30
What’s for sale: Toys, books, linens, cards, garden goods, treats and jam.
Gift highlight: STEAM activities for kids.
Jane Akin Gift Shop at the Cahoon Museum of American Art
Where: 4676 Falmouth Road, Cotuit
When: 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesdays through Sundays through Dec. 19
What’s for sale: Art books, jewelry, Cahoon-themed items, cards, children’s books and games, wearables and hand-crafted gifts made by artisans both locally and worldwide.
Gift highlights: Items inspired by the exhibition “Brenda Kingery: Weaving Messages,” including books, jewelry and scarves that highlight her Native American (Chickasaw) heritage.
Cotuit Historical Society Museum Shop
Where: 1148 Main St., Cotuit
When: 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Fridays through Sundays through Christmas
Online shop: cotuithistoricalsociety.org/store/c1/Featured_Products.html
What’s for sale: Items reflecting Cotuit and Cape Cod; nautical and vintage designs that feature the craftsmanship of local artisans.
Gift highlights: Leather journals printed with a vintage Cotuit map; etched glassware that pictures the skiffs often seen in Cotuit waters.
Cultural Center of Cape Cod
Where: 307 Old Main St., South Yarmouth
When: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesdays through Fridays and noon to 5 p.m. Saturdays
What’s for sale: Original work by Cape and Islands artisans, artists and writers, including pottery, textiles, jewelry, poetry and prose, wood creations, glass mosaics, greeting cards, Nantucket Lightship baskets, handbags and ornaments.
Gift highlights: Scarves by Susan Clark; whimsical glass mosaics by Mary Dunn Cauley.
Falmouth Arts Center
Where: 137 Gifford St., Falmouth
When: Holiday marketplace 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Mondays through Fridays, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturdays and 1 to 4 p.m. Sundays through Dec. 24
Online: No buying online, but photos and videos of the market offer browsing at FalmouthArt.org
What’s for sale: Handmade art and crafts from more than 70 local artisans, including paintings, prints and photos; knitted and woven handmade scarfs, bags and clothes; pottery, jewelry, cards, ornaments, books, papercrafts, fiber art, baskets and handmade soaps.
Gift highlights: Pottery made by instructors and students in the center’s ceramic program; jewelry, including rings by silversmith Leslie Spencer of Cotuit and bracelets by Ann Dickinson Wright.
Harwich Historical Society’s Brooks Academy Museum Gift Shop
Where: 80 Parallel St., Harwich
When: 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Dec. 18
Online shopping: harwichhistoricalsociety.org/museum-shop
What’s for sale: Books by local authors and on historical subjects (both fiction and non-fiction), children's books and coloring books; materials related to birds and decoy collecting; paintings and prints.
Gift highlight: The "Taste of History" cranberry cookbook is described as “a must for those holiday recipes!”
Heritage Museums & Gardens
Where: 67 Grove St., Sandwich
When: 4:30 to 8:30 p.m. on all “Garden Aglow” nights, including Dec. 19, 21-22 and 26. While that holiday celebration is largely sold out, the shop is open to the public without a ticket.
What’s for sale: Home décor, items for the garden, plants, stationary and toys.
Gift highlight: A limited-edition, hand-blown “Froggie” ornament by glass artist Michael Magyar of Glass Studio of Cape Cod is the 10th in a collectible series launched in 2012. “Froggie” — in green, pink and blue — is inspired by and named for the Hydrangea macrophylla hybridized over 20 years by hydrangeas curator Mal Condon.
Historical Society of Old Yarmouth
Where: A small book shop at the administrative and archival office at the Benjamin T. Gorham Cobbler Shop, 229 Route 6A, Yarmouth Port
When: 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays
Online shop: hsoy.org/publications
What’s for sale: Books on Yarmouth and Cape Cod history.
Gift highlight: Robert D. Kelley's recent book “Historical Writings of Daniel Wing,” that compiles rare scholarly writings by South Yarmouth historian Daniel Wing (1841-1933), including hand-drawn maps.
Provincetown Art Association & Museum
Where: 460 Commercial St., Provincetown
When: Noon to 5 p.m. Thursdays through Sundays through December
Online shop: paam.org/shop
What’s for sale: Books and catalogs related to current exhibitions; works from and about artists in the museum collection and the Cape artist community; books on making art, art history, architecture; poetry and fiction from local writers; cards, magazines, postcards, and posters; youth items; clothing.
Gift highlight: An original work of art taken directly from the “Members’ Open: Small Works” exhibition, on view Nov. 19 to Jan. 9.
Thornton Burgess Green Briar Nature Center & Jam Kitchen
Where: 6 Discovery Hill Road, East Sandwich
When: 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays
Online shop: thorntonburgess.square.site
What’s for sale: Toys, books, linens, treats, jam.
Gift highlights: Thornton Burgess books, character puppets.
This article originally appeared on Cape Cod Times: Cape Cod art, history, jam: 12 museums for last-minute shopping
