Glitter Girl takes over half of the Shirt Outlet
It’s June, and time for CapeMay.com’s annual – Who’s New, Who’s Moved, Who’s Gone and Who’s turned it over to someone new update. Let’s begin with Breaking News – Steve White of Seaside Cheese Company, Park Blvd in West Cape May, told CapeMay.com over the weekend that he expects work on Cafe Fromage – which will be a room right off the cheese shop – should be completed by July. What fun – cheese, snacks and wine without leaving the store. Good luck Steve.
Over on the Washington Street Mall in Cape May, although the Mall had a huge turnover last year, it’s looking pretty much the same this year, with just a couple of changes.
In the 500 block, The Shirt Outlet in Liberty Way, by the Lemon Tree Restaurant, has moved into one store and revamped the second. 106 Liberty Way is now called Glitter Girl. The newly renovated Glitter Girl specializes in jewelry and accessories.
Moonstruck Boutique @ 503 takes over The Nest
In the 400 block in City Centre Mall, Candles of Cape May is gone. No one has taken the space as of press time.
In the 300 block Best Darn Kettlecorn is out and Bathtime has expanded into that location.
Behind the Mall on Carpenters Lane, Tradewinds is gone. Rowehouse Tile is in. They sell ceramic tile and art. In Carpenters Square Mall, Crepe May to Go is out. No one in as yet.
Lili's Therapeutic Massage takes over Maggie's Restaurant
Over at Congress Hall, we noticed the hallway is dotted with little bistro tables for patrons to enjoy their morning joe and that Tommy’s Folly has expanded across the hall, next to Victorious.
On Lafayette Street, The Nest is gone and Moonstruck Boutique @ 503 is in. A longtime retail store, Whiskers on Ocean Street, is gone and now has a booth at the Antique Emporium on Perry Street. As of press time, the old location is still vacant.
The y.b. Eat Place takes over Sean's Restaurant
In the Washington Street Commons, the slot vacated by Maggie’s Restaurant last summer is now Lili’s Therapeutic Massage. One Cape May fixture at the Commons is sadly missing this year – Oma’s Doll Shop is gone – but good news – you can still order your favorite dolls on line – www.omasdollshop.com Coming soon to that location – New York Hot Bagels.
Lots of changes down on the beachfront beginning with Sean’s Restaurant, a couple of doors down from Akroteria. Sean’s is out and one of our favorite restaurateurs, Yiannis (John) Karapanagiotis of George’s Restaurant has encouraged his younger brother, Peter to open The Y.B. Eat Place. That’s Y.B. as in younger brother. New look, new menu. Give it a shot. How could you be disappointed by anything made by the Karapanagiotis brothers?
Pete Smith's Surf Shop takes over Sunglass Hut
The Sea Shanty takes over Louie's Hot Dog Shop
Also along the beachfront, clothing boutique Accents is gone and the Well Center for Massage, of 110 N. Broadway, West Cape May, has added another location. Looks like this is the year for the massage. Must be a lot of stress out there.
In the Beach Theatre shopping “concourse” – somewhat ironic given that the Beach Theatre has been closed for two summers now – Shades of Cape May is out (and relocated last summer onto the Mall) and Pete Smith’s Surf Shop (also in the Washington Commons and formerly located in the now demolished Solarium) is in. Louie’s Hot Dog Shop is out as of last summer and The Sea Shanty is in and it looks like they’re hoppin’.
The Beach House is in; Henry's on the Beach is out
Across the street is one of the biggest changes – Convention Hall is demolished, as well as the Solarium and is currently a big giant hole – but a Cape May tradition – Henry’s on the Beach is out and – The Beach House – is in. Readers will be happy to note that they are still serving breakfast, lunch and dinner seaside and bonus – you can watch construction of the NEW Convention Hall while you dine – or at the very least listen to it, depending on seating arrangements.
Cape May Variety is in; Mermaids is out
Across the street at the Macomber, the cute little gift shop Mermaids is out and Cape May Variety is in – selling newspapers, cigarettes and beachside sundries.
The ever-changing shopping center in West Cape May
Over in West Cape May, the little shopping center across from the 7-Eleven at the corner of Broadway and Sunset Boulevard, seems to always have new tenants, except for Brothers Pizza who have been there it seems forever. Currently, the eateries next to Brothers are Blue Moon Ice Cream and Jo Jo’s Mediterranean Grill.
Dock Mike's Pancake House takes over Mangia Mangia's spot
And across the street, right next to the 7-Eleven. – you’ll never believe it – Mangia Mangia is gone and it is now Dock Mike’s Pancake House, as in Dock Mike’s at South Jersey Marina which is now Wallace’s of Whaler’s Cove fame.
Going out of town, as you know Copperfish moved from its location near the Schellenger Bridge two seasons ago. Last year, Latitudes went in. They are gone and Diana’s – a breakfast, lunch and dinner eaterie, is in.
Well that’s it for this year, unless you know of some new places or some old ones. If you do, let us know.
Happy Trails.
Thanks Again for another thorough update, Susan! I always look forward to these articles with anticipation and a little dread as well. Does anyone know if Sean’s has moved elsewhere? I’ll be really curious to hear what people think of The Beach House. I’m also sad to learn that Tradewinds is gone again. :( That place was at it’s best when it was on Lafayette St.
Oh Ps! Has anyone moved into The Oasis’s place yet?
Sean’s has not relocated. And you are correct, Carol, that Tradewinds once occupied the space where Moonstruck Boutique is now and The Nest prior to that. In fact, Weddings By Sea began at that very same location. We will check on the status of the Oasis spot. The retailers and eateries on the Promendade are having a tough go of it there since Convention Hall was declared unsafe in 2008.
I really miss the Oasis, the owners were very friendly and the food was tasty and reasonable. You couldn’t beat the location. I thought maybe they would relocate across the street. Perhaps they went back home or even to Wildwood.
Besides the really good food, the Oasis had a really nice casual atmosphere that I’m going to miss! It was so nice to come off the beach and grab a bite there. After visiting CM yesterday, I can see why the place is unoccupied, it’s rather closed off behind the lines where the new Convention Hall is going to be built. You really can’t get to it. Hopefully when the new hall is completed, that will be occupied again.
The beachhouse was horrible! 45 minute wait also for breakfast. Two meals didn’t have sides, 1 dish dish come out and 1 wasn’t done. We asked to speak to a manager and it was the owners 15 year old son. How rediculous. We used to always eat at henrys and now we won’t be going back. I feel bad for the servers who used to work there when it was henrys . Now they are gonna loose business. Don’t waste your time and money going here
Unfortunately, the Beach House is not good. 45 minute wait for lunch; key menu items not available; skimpy sandwiches, unfriendly service. On the plus side, McGlade’s is as satisfying and lovely as ever :)
My hubby and I had breakfast there last month. Food wasn’t too bad but you pay extra for toast with you eggs. A little pricey but the view is always nice.
So sad that Mangia Mangia is gone! We’ve gone there for dinner once/summer for the past 10 years or so. How long was it there?
I agree with you. My family and I have gone to Cape May for the past 17 summers and always made Mangia Mangia a dinner stop. Will Dock Mike’s only serve breakfast and lunch??
I cant believe whiskers is gone :( one of my favorite shops for the past 7 years
Same here. I always went there every year and since I have 8 cats I would always find such unique things. I’ll have to track them down at the new location but loved that I could stop there on the way back from the beach and cool off and shop.
Sorry to hear about Whiskers. I’m going to track down their new location when I go down in August. Hopefully that’s still there. Great store.
Don’t forget – Although downsized, Whiskers has relocated to the Antique Emporia at Perry Street.
OMG, my teenagers have been saving up to buy cat socks and clocks in Whiskers for 10 years. They are going to be devestated when we get there the end of the month. The staff could not have been nicer.
Thank you Susan for the update. I, too, always look forward to this. Surprised that Mangia, Mangia is gone. I still miss The Globe that was in that spot many years ago. They had very good food. A lot of changes again this year. Tradewinds was one of my favorite stops. Sorry it’s not there anymore.
The Globe! What a great menu they always had to offer! Sorry to learn that Mangia Mangia is no more but REALLY miss The Globe.
I loved their menu. He was a wonderful chef and his wife was the pastry chef.
What happened to the popcorn place on the mall? We loved that place and the people were so sweet who ran the store. Also what happened to the credit card meters around Cape May? We were so bummed and frantically trying to find quarters so we could visit.
The new meters along the mall accept all major credit cards as well as dollars and quarters.
Is Oma’s Doll Shop still there?
No. It went out early this year. If you go to their website you can probably still order a neat doll. I miss you Laurie (Oma’s owner)
Just an update, Crepe May to Go is NOT coming back to Carpenter’s Square Mall this summer. No plans yet on what the space will be. Many folks stop and ask about Annie Ann’s which has been gone for 3 years already. I’ll miss the panini’s and sweet crepe’s. Tradewinds may rise once again, you never know. I too miss her shop. You may be able to find Kettle Corn at the West Cape May Farmer’s Market this summer. And FYI, there are two new restaurants “off the island” that are great for getting away from the busy summer crowds. One is next to Shop Rite, Sushi Ukai Asian Bistro and it is fantastic. Been there 5 times and have enjoyed everything. And the other is the Old Grange out at Cold Spring Village run by Tony Clark. It is also excellent with service and food being 5 stars.
any word on where The Nest went? I loved that shop…
As always thanks for this article. I now look forward to it every year. I’m anxious to try out y.b. Eat place. Hopefully once the new convention hall is finished things will be better in that area for businesses (restaurants or shops). My question is what is like for the hotels right around the building site, not sure I would want to stay somewhere near there while the construction is going on.
I, like Beth Pier, also loved the Nest and am sorry to hear it is gone.
Any word on the Cape May Point General Store? We have been awaiting its reopening for several years now.
Did I see that Sports and Stuff (near the wawa) is gone?
Sports n Stuff has been gone for a couple of summers now.
I highly recommend the Seafood Shanty in the Beach Theater strip, next to Zbop…the food is amazing and the owners/operators are delightful. Crab bisque is the best ever, their grilled scallop salad, crab cake sandwich and lobster roll are all fabulous. So convenient too…no need for reservations and fancy restaurant prices. You’ll be so happy you gave them a try, you’ll go back. And be sure to stop in Zbop while you’re there, a very unique boutique, worthy of your support. I’ll see y’all at the Shanty in less than two weeks!
I had a fantastic lunch at the Sea Shanty yesterday! Their Lobster Roll was most excellent and I was very impressed with the folks who own and run the place. Very Cool People, Very Good Food… Very Worth Checking Out!
Looking forward to visiting the Sea Shanty as we stay at the Avondale. Always frequent that area. Hope the construction isn’t too noisy?
They won’t do construction during the tourist season, so you have no need to worry, Di.
Actually, it is incorrect that construction will not progress during the summer months. It certainly will and has started as of this week. Demolition is not permitted after Memorial Day and there are restrictions regarding the times the construction workers can start banging away.
I was not aware of that Susan, until I had read the Press of Atlantic City’s article yesterday! Thanks for setting the record straight!
What happened to Henry’s??
We won’t see “NOPE” anymore?
Nope :( Our cat is named for Henry’s!
Whiskers is gone!! It was the first place we went shopping for all of our kitty friends in Cape May! We will miss it!
@ Betty, Whiskers has moved down to the Antique mall at 405 West Perry St. Head down Perry past the Wash Street Mall, up to the traffic light at the corner of Jackson St, mini golf on your right. You’ll see the building at the corner on your right. Antiques Emporia is their new home.
Betty, when I was there at the end of April I saw Whiskers was no longer in it’s usual place. The sign on the old store said to go to the Antiques Emporium. It was in the back corner (going toward W. Cape May) on the Perry St side. You can see it from the sidewalk if you are walking by the Emporium.
Hi, Can anyone update on the General Store in Cape May Point? When will it open and what will it do?
Beth
Thank you, Susan, for all the updates. Happy to see that all my favorite haunts are still there. Tried out ‘The Beach House’ for breakfast on my last visit. Not too bad was a little put off by the extra charge for toast with my eggs. A little pricey so I won’t be going there again. Looking forward to Glitter Girl. Sounds like fun clothes. See you soon.
I always enjoy reading this article before our yearly trip to CM. We tried the Sea Shanty. The lobster roll, fried scallops, and fried clams were excellent. There is a new smoothie place called Ellas right near Gecko’s. We had a pina coloda smoothie and a mixed berry smoothie. The sizes are a bit small for the price. We had great service and a good breakfast at Y.B.
Thanks for the plug – we are loving our new store called MoonStruck Boutique @ 503 – hope you get a chance to stop in – we usually serve refreshments on Friday evenings.
503 Lafayette Street – CM – Nj 08204 609-884-5949
What happened to Vanthia’s?
My whole family loves Cape May! We highly recommend The Sea Shanty! The lobster roll was delicious & the fried shrimp were to die for! The owners were so friendly & really went out of their way to accomodate our large order. The Beach house on the other hand was horrible!! Lousy service & our food was cold. We told the owner & he was very rude & didn’t even care. Don’t even think about asking for seperate checks…….we will not be going back. We enjoy Cape May so much!! The countdown is on until we get there next year!! ;)
New updates from Carpenter’s Square Mall. Crepe May is out but BLISS and I mean BLISS is in! Fantastic Homemade organic Ice Cream in a variety of flavors and colors, plus sorbets, ice cream sandwiches and root beer floats. Flavors change daily so it’s never boring.
And Dorothy’s Jewelry is gone replaced with “Off the Wall Art” created by local Peri Anne, this colorful shop is filled with unique art and authentic jewelry & accessories. Stop on by!
Did nobody notice that the old…and I do mean old Atlas has been put out of it’s misery and replaced by a modern wonder of a Motel? I stayed at the Atlas in the midst of it’s death throes and the new owner’s are to be congratulated for putting it out of it’s misery in such grand style.