Pumpkins play a part in plenty of autumn activities
CAPE MAY — As the air turns crisp and the leaves begin to fall, the merchants on and near the Washington Street Mall are getting ready to enjoy all things autumn.
Fall is the perfect time to create a bucket list for visiting Cape May, from starting mornings with a cup of coffee or tea to sparking joy with new hobbies to a create-your-own candle experience.
For some, fall unofficially begins right after Labor Day. But for The Buoy Coffee Shop proprietor Meghan Protasi, she waits until the first official day of autumn to inrroduce her fall menu. The Buoy Downtown is Protasi’s second coffee shop, located at 315 Ocean St.
“I’m Team Endless Summer, so I like to honor Locals’ Summer and all of our guests who book their trips after Labor Day,” Protasi said. “We just debuted our seasonal menu with favorites like a classic pumpkin pie latte or chai, caramel apple butter and brown sugar lattes.”
The lattes can be enjoyed iced or topped with sweet cream cold foam for warmer fall days. As the season goes on, Protasi plans to add apple cider and hot chocolate specials too.
In addition to beverages, shoppers can enjoy a rotation of fall pastries such as iced pumpkin loaf, pumpkin and apple strudel muffins and dipped macaroons.
“We’re also adding new fall merchandise daily [and] I’m currently obsessed with our new mock neck sweatshirts,” Protasi said. “We also brought in a small-batch, clean syrup line with flavors like marshmallow and cinnamon that have been hugely popular. There’s always something new popping up.”
A revolving stand of vintage-inspired postcards sits on the counter right near the register at Buoy. The selection is ever-changing and makes great Cape May keepsakes to frame or add to a scrapbook or journal.
“The postcards continue to be one of my favorite little parts of the shop,” Protasi said. “We sell postcard stamps and have pens available, so guests can slow down, enjoy a coffee and write someone a note. There’s even a mailbox right across the street.”
Protasi grew up in Cape May and appreciates how many people enjoy the town in the fall. She said she is looking forward to getting to know and enjoy new regulars, seeing familiar faces shopping on their way to work and settling into being a little coffee shop that opens its doors daily at 6:30 a.m.
“I really love experiencing fall in Cape May; growing up it wasn’t like this, so I feel really grateful the season continues to stay busy,” she said. “My parents had a retail shop on the mall many moons ago and this kind of vibrant fall season is exactly what they always hoped Cape May could become.”
Fall gives people more time to wander and start getting into the gifting mindset. Protasi says she plans to expand the retail section of the Buoy Downtown, with a longer season.
This is the first fall season for the Ocean Street location, which opened in April. The original Buoy on the promenade closes in the winter, so the downtown location allows Protasi to serve clientele beyond the summer. She added that she is excited to carry the coffee shop through the holiday season.
“One of my absolute favorite parts of fall is the monarch migration; they are the most magical little creatures,” she said. “Their journey all the way to Mexico is incredible, which makes seeing them pass through Cape May even more special to me.”
One way for visitors to enjoy the monarch migration is to visit the Cape May Point Arts & Science Center, which Protasi always encourages as a place to learn more about the migration and the local research and tracking.
“I’ll always be Team Summer, but Cape May makes a pretty convincing case for fall,” Protasi said. “There’s still plenty of energy around town, but everything slows down just enough to really enjoy it. Soak up those warm September and October bonus beach days and don’t miss the cotton candy sunsets.”
Enjoy magic of season
New to the Washington Street Mall this summer is Jackson & Perry, 325 Washington St., the former home of Queen May (which relocated to 415 Washington St.). The two-story boutique is inspired by the south of France and has a lingering summer feel.
“We really love leaning into the seasons at Jackson & Perry while still keeping an eye on what’s trending,” manager Caskia Rosas said. “This fall, that means everything from seasonal scents, fall fashion and home pieces to really fun ‘Practical Magic’-inspired accessories, books and clothing.”
After the energy of summer, Rosas said there is something special about Cape May once fall arrives.
“Everything slows down just enough that you get to enjoy the town in a different way,” she said. “The weather is beautiful, the mall feels whimsical and there’s this shift toward spending more time at home and enjoying the simple things.”
Capturing the fall feeling in the shop, Jackson & Perry carries a plethora of unique offerings, including seasonal drops from Le Creuset.
Everything from cooking and baking to entertaining, reading, creating and making home feel special can be found.
“Fall is when we start thinking about all of those little rituals that make being home feel special again,” Rosas said. “Like baking something from scratch, lighting a new candle, painting or starting a new craft, making a seasonal cocktail or curling up with a really good book.”
Rosas said they hope guests shopping at Jackson & Perry are inspired to do something, from trying a new dinner recipe to painting, creating a cocktail or making an ordinary night at home feel a little more romanticized.
“Fall in Cape May is such a good season for all of those things and we love getting to be a part of it,” she said.
Become a chandler
The only thing better than lighting a fresh fall-scented candle is lighting one you created in a pour-your-own soy candle experience at Pour Cape May, 405 W. Perry St.
In medieval times, chandlers made and sold candles, and Pour’s mostly self-guided workshop lets visitors try their hand at being a chandler by fully customizing their own.
“We really embrace fall at Pour [and] have seasonal fragrances like pumpkin pie, campfire marshmallow, fall leaves, apple pie, cranberry apple butter, cashmere musk and plenty more,” owner Corinne Rietheimer said. “At the candle bar, guests can also choose from fun, seasonal vessels including glass pumpkins and skull-shaped options.”
The candle bar also features inspired wax toppers, shaped like pumpkins, ghosts, pinecones and more. The entire shop is decorated for the season, and in addition to the workshop, many candles and candle-related items are for sale.
“We love giving people lots of ways to make their candle feel unique to the season,” Rietheimer said. “Fall is what they call ‘candle season,’ so it’s one of the busier times of year for us.”
The fall scents are Rietheimers’ favorite, as is the autumnal season; a time she says when the town is more relaxed after a busy summer and full of bustling fall events. She noted Cape May has become a year-round destination and the fall season is a prime example.
“The weather is beautiful; I especially love seeing the Washington Street Mall and local businesses decorated for the season,” she said. “There’s something about Cape May’s historic charm mixed with all the fall colors and decorations that makes this time of year feel really special.”
Rietheimer added that she loves seeing the same people come in with friends and family, year after year, to make candles.
“It becomes a unique fall activity and experience that they come back for, so it’s cool seeing it turn into a tradition,” she said. “I think we’re really fortunate to be a part of a community of awesome small businesses that give people so many reasons to visit beyond the summer months.”
By RACHEL SHUBIN/Special to the Star and Wave
