LOWER TOWNSHIP — For millions of visitors over the years, Cape May is as wide as Schellenger’s Landing, as deep as the walk from the marina to the creek, and populated by fishermen and dockworkers.
Every year, thousands of watercraft and ocean-going vessels dock at Cape May Marina: some of them sailing the great Loop from the Great Lakes to the Mississippi to the Gulf and then up the East Coast, some just getting their sea legs or having a family vacation in the all-too-brief summer months.
Inevitably, they decide to take the landscaped and decorated marina as an invitation to explore further, walking out to Route 109 in search of food, souvenirs and any sightseeing that can be reached by foot.
Thousands of times each year, that takes them right to the commercial building at 1228 Route 109, just across from the marina, which for the past 30-some years has been rented by an antiques market.
The building has been part of the fabric of the docklands far longer than 30 years, built in 1956 and most likely replacing something else at the spot.
This particular space has been everything from a dry dock to a hosiery factory in the long years of Cape May’s tumultuous history. This building has very simple bones, all the better to adapt to a changing world.
Although its perch on the corner of Second Avenue and the main route in and out of the city means its attached parking spaces in a lot of more than 17,000 square feet is of inestimable value, it also has always had its fair share of foot traffic.
Fortunately, Lower Township acted on that fact by adding new brick pathways and sidewalks around this portion of the Marina District, finally tying the actual waterfront to the most popular restaurants outside the Historic District. It’s fair to say the world has walked by this spot, or at least an adequate representation of it: with everything from Swedish research vessels to yacht crews from New Zealand swaying past on legs unused to land, heading to Lucky Bones or Mayer’s after long nights out on the dark ocean.
The interior is simple enough to invite a re-imagining, with a very spacious 6,200 square feet of room, including a second floor in the northeast corner of the building. This is the taller facade that greets traffic just after it crosses the big bridge, a landmark of the small island known as Schellenger’s Landing just outside Cape May.
After more than 300 years of being the home of boatwrights, dry docks, outfitters and a variety of changing maritime specialist trades, this area is suddenly home to multimillion-dollar homes and clubhouses, with condos going for sky-high prices just a block away.
The commercial property has something even they do not: a driveway that stretches from Second to First avenues, providing easy access and egress along one of the busiest spots in Cape May County. So, while foot traffic is not only steady and fascinating, the sheer visibility and safe entrance mean the right business could catch all the people driving past on their way to Cape May.
The stark interior has been warm and dry for decades, home to 70 antiques vendors with their precious stock out on the floor in little vignettes like an indoor bazaar. Central air conditioning and heat are obviously important to anyone selling antiques, and the building has ample electricity and huge doors for access.
The main entrance is reached by first walking through a small paved courtyard in front, a great place to display some of the larger items outside or the more eye-catching stock in a large window. Its position tucked slightly behind the front northeast corner of the building makes it feel slightly less exposed and therefore much more pleasant a place to rest a bit before wading out into the teeming crowds in the area by the marina, the Lobster House, Lucky Bones and the bridge.
It’s true that traffic always seems to be faster coming in to town, so that little sheltered cove off the main makes a nice spot for watching people and boat traffic. This inviting space becomes even more so just after one has played Frogger to cross the busy thoroughfare.
The second floor of this building comes as a surprise to those who’ve shopped there, but it turns out there has been a long, unseen office up there all this time. This private enclave has a spacious, recently updated kitchen with ample storage and natural light, a large bathroom with a shower and built-in laundry, and a long office with an angular barrel-style ceiling, multiple closets and a wide picture-window looking out over the street to the forest of ships masts beyond.
Although this space is zoned for commercial, it is hard to imagine a cozier workspace than by that window on a foggy morning. The door can be locked to the landing above the store, guaranteeing safety and security while keeping one close to the action downstairs.
Whatever destiny awaits this spot, it’s blessed by an unbeatable location, ample parking, easy access and good bones. (The Antique Market is a tenant, and therefore not part of the sale.) This part of town might not have formerly been the most fashionable, but it’s always been the most fascinating — an ever-changing blend of land and sea.
With all of the development on this stretch, it might be almost as well-populated on a summer night as it used to be when factories and workshops covered every available inch of dry land, leaving only the old narrow alleys between looming warehouses and doors so tall, workers could pull a schooner inside. This building is ready for whatever the future brings, but it’s still part of that history.
Lower Township’s regulations for marine businesses include the delightful term “boatels” (as opposed to hotels or motels), and there is a lot of scope for development within those regulations without needing to seek any additional permissions.
