Shopping

You can pretty much ignore Route 28. There's a growing cluster of antiques shops in Dennisport, but the stock is flea-market level and requires more patience than most mere browsers -- as opposed to avid collectors -- may be able to muster. Save your time and money for the better shops along Route 6A, where you'll also find fine contemporary crafts.

Antiques/Collectibles

More than 136 dealers stock the co-op Antiques Center of Cape Cod, 243 Rte. 6A (about 1 mile south of Dennis Village center), Dennis (tel. 508/385-6400); it's the largest such enterprise on the Cape. You'll find all the usual "smalls" on the first floor; the big stuff -- from blanket chests to copper bathtubs -- beckons above.

Eldred's, 1483 Rte. 6A (about 1/4 mile west of Dennis Village center), East Dennis (tel. 508/385-3116; www.eldreds.com), where the gavel has been wielded for more than 40 years, is the Cape's most prestigious auction house. Specialties include Asian art, American and European paintings, marine art, and Americana. Call for a schedule.

The premier place for antique wicker furniture on the Cape is Leslie Curtis Design and Antiques at two locations in Dennis Village, 776 Main St./Rte. 6A and 838 Main St./Rte. 6A (tel. 508/385-2921). Her wicker selection includes Victorian pieces and Bar Harbor wicker of the 1920s. She also specializes in French Quimper pottery and American 19th-century furniture.

Arts & Crafts

The creations of Ross Coppelman Goldsmith, 1439 Rte. 6A (about 1/4 mile west of the town center), East Dennis (tel. 508/385-7900) -- mostly fashioned of lustrous 22-karat gold -- have an iconic drama to them: They seem to draw on the aesthetics of some grand, lost civilization.

Scargo Stoneware Pottery and Art Gallery, 30 Dr. Lord's Rd. S. (off Rte. 6A, about 1 mile east of the town center), Dennis (tel. 508/385-3894), is a magical place. Harry Holl set up his glass-ceilinged studio here in 1952; today his work, and the output of his four grown daughters, fills a sylvan glade overlooking Scargo Lake. Much of it -- such as the signature birdhouses shaped like fanciful castles -- is meant to reside outside. The other wares deserve a place of honor on the dining-room table or perhaps over a mantle. Hand-painted tiles by Sarah Holl are particularly enchanting.

Books

Bookstore junkies (you know who you are) will love Armchair Bookshop, 619 Rte. 6A, Dennis Village (tel. 508/385-0900), one of those quaint little bookshops that does everything right. This one seems to specialize (unofficially) in books about dogs, in tribute to the friendly golden retrievers in residence. But you'll find everything here, from bestsellers to books of local interest to children's books and more. There is also a large selection of cards and gift items. It's all very well organized and a delight for browsers.