ORLEANS – Inside Nauset Farms, the shelves are bare, equipment is stowed away and there's not an employee or patron in sight. It's an unusual look for the popular Main Street market, which is typically open year-round. But while there's still much to be done, Peter Gori is excited about what lies ahead when the store reopens in April. "We want to build off of what's here," said Gori, who was due to close as...

ORLEANS – On Monday morning, the sounds of The Specials' "Ghost Town" wafted through the air outside Las Chidas. Maybe that's a coincidence, but it's an apt description of the sleepy stretch of Route 6A near Town Cove, especially during the quiet winter months. But one step into Meredith Gallant's new artisan taco joint and it's clear the Harwich resident is interested in offering patrons more than just a good...

CHATHAM — Starting with the Chatham Trust Company, there's been a bank at the Chatham rotary continuously since 1955, but that could change when the current tenant, Rockland Trust, completes its lease in April. If no other bank takes over the space, it would be the first time in decades that Chatham has had only one full-service bank in town. Rockland Trust has petitioned the state and federal regulatory autho...

Primabee Founder Lives Out Company’s Mission Of Wellness CHATHAM – For many people on the Cape, the jury is still out on cannabis-based products. Paul Borde gets it. “ I was that guy,” he said. He was, that is, until a golf injury in 2018 led him to Cannabidiol, more commonly known as CBD. The pain was excruciating, he recalled, and Tylenol, Advil and other pain relieving medicines weren’t working. ...

EASTHAM – Ken Taber had a good career in the software industry when he and his wife, Erica, decided to pack up and move with their son to Eastham. They moved to the Cape to work at Hole In One, the Eastham and Orleans locations which were at the time owned by Erica's father. But they stopped short of fully committing to the relocation, opting to keep their house in South Windsor, Conn. "We thought 'Let's ju...

ORLEANS – After 38 years in Orleans, Ragg Time Ltd. on Main Street ended 2022 with its best year ever. For owner Jeanie Bessette, that's as good a note as any to go out on. On Saturday, Bessette will close up the women's apparel shop that she's run since 1984, opting to scale back and focus on her seasonal store in Wellfleet. "I've met some wonderful people," said Bessette, a Wellfleet resident. "They're re...

CHATHAM – After 26 years at the Wayside Inn, beginning as chef and ending his tenure as general manager, Shane Coughlin is ready to get back to basics. After the Wayside was sold earlier this year, Coughlin took some time to regroup and “look for the next chapter” in his life. “I don't do well idle,” he commented. And he really wanted to do something in Chatham. “Chatham has been good to me and my family,” he ...

DENNIS — The recent screening of “Hello, Bookstore,” a documentary filmed in Lenox, Mass., brought back mixed memories for three Cape Cod small business owners who struggled to survive during the pandemic. “I was just thinking, god, that was awful,” Tom Deegan, owner of Mom and Pop’s Burgers in Chatham, said of the pandemic. “We did what we needed to do; we made a decision to keep (food service) outside, and w...

     Fans of the Frying Pan Gallery in Wellfleet and the work of steel artist Steve Swain have something to cheer about. The gallery, which opened in a rehabbed 100-year-old oyster shack in 2009, has now opened a second location at 125 Route 6A in Orleans. Situated in the former Vec Surfboards location, the new gallery features the same great variety of original local art that has made Frying Pan Gallery a favor...

EAST HARWICH — Remember when Cape Cod rolled up its sidewalks after visitors went home on Labor Day? Those days are long gone, and increasingly, once-seasonal businesses are trying their luck in the shoulder and off seasons. The Wequassett Inn and Resort will soon be among them. Following a brief closure for maintenance, the Wequassett’s guest rooms, function rooms and restaurants will be open for visitors aga...

Wondering if the time is right to go clamming, or if there is enough water to get your boat through the Stage Harbor cut? The answer lies in the tides: low tide for clamming and high tide for boating the cut. "Tide Guide," an iPhone application with those answers, was created by Tucker MacDonald whose Chatham ties include memories of consulting the tide guides on fishing trips with his grandfather in the water...

CHATHAM — Everyone knows when you are on Cape Cod you have to get a lobster roll. With the town’s recently approved food truck policy now in place, there are two new options to get the classic New England delicacy. Both the Cousins Maine Lobster truck and the Chatham Squire Mobile will be stationed in the town offices parking lot on alternating days as well as on Monday nights for “Mondays on Main.” The Squ...

Working Together Seeking Fair Prices CHATHAM – Working in a field that rewards competitiveness and individual initiative, commercial fishermen have a strong streak of independence. But in creating a new partnership, the Chatham Harvesters’ Cooperative, they’re working together to develop new products in new markets, seeking to get the best possible prices for the fresh seafood they bring to port. This after...

HARWICH — It is a rare business that celebrates 150 years of continuous operations in the same building where it was established. But so it is with Henry T. Crosby & Son Monuments and Memorials, founded in 1872 at 672 Main St. in Harwich. Thomas J. Blute has now owned the business that he cherishes for 33 years. “It’s 100 percent been for me,” he says. “I don’t want it to end.” Blute, who is in his late...

CHATHAM — Rhode Island-based Procaccianti Companies, which bought the Wayside Inn earlier this year, has purchased the Chatham Highlander motel for just over $7.7 million. “The Highlander will go through a complete renovation of the guest rooms and public areas but will be targeted at a slightly different guest than the Wayside Inn,” Procaccianti Chief Investment Officer Rob Leven said. The Highlander has typi...

CHATHAM — After lengthy study, the select board adopted regulations last week allowing mobile food vendors to operate in certain locations around town, including parts of downtown. Out of deference to concerned neighbors, one location – the former Eldredge Garage property – was removed from the list of potential food truck sites. The select board had previously favored allowing mobile food vendors at six locat...