Shopping

Falmouth's spiffy Main Street has a number of good clothing, home goods, and gift stores. There are also several good arts and crafts galleries in West Falmouth and Woods Hole.

Antiques -- Fish and Chintz at 13 County Rd. in North Falmouth (tel. 508/563-2998) is a fun antiques store full of affordable "finds," as well as old furniture that has been painted and freshened up for that cottage-y look. Don't forget to check out the upstairs where more treasures await. Good & White at 635 W. Falmouth Hwy. in West Falmouth (tel. 508/548-2772) is one of those fancy antique stores that look like the pages of a fine homes magazine. In fact, it has been featured in several.

Arts & Crafts -- Jan Collins Selman Fine Art, 317 Main St., Falmouth (tel. 508/457-5533), not only shows the fine pastels and paintings of Ms. Selman but also features artwork from many other established and emerging artists from the area. Joan Lederman creates and sells her one-of-a-kind ceramics at The Soft Earth, in Woods Hole (tel. 508/540-5237; www.thesoftearth.com). Lederman glazes her pottery with sediment found on ocean floors all over the world. She obtains much of her material from the oceanographic scientists based in Woods Hole. The colors and patterns created by the sediment make each of her practical pieces -- which include bowls, platters, mugs, vases, and the like -- not only utterly unique, but true works of art. Visits to her studio/gallery are by appointment only.

Books -- Booksmith, 7 Davis Straits (in Falmouth Plaza), Falmouth (tel. 508/540-6064), is a terrific all-around bookstore, with a good selection of novels and nonfiction paperbacks for beach reading. The very appealing Eight Cousins Children's Books, 189 Main St., Falmouth (tel. 508/548-5548), offers books, games, and toys for children of all ages. There is also a wall of books to appeal to teenagers and an adult section as well. The town's largest repository of books is Inkwell Bookstore at 199 Main St., Falmouth (tel. 508/540-0039). There's great beach reading to be found here, as well as books in dozens of specialty categories and the town's biggest magazine rack.

Fashion -- Don't be too intimidated to browse in Maxwell & Co., 200 Main St. (in the center of town), Falmouth (tel. 508/540-8752), which may be the highest-end clothier on the Cape. Comfortable Italian fashions are displayed here in an elegant setting. Their end-of-summer sale in mid-August offers up to 70% off the prices of these exquisite goods.

The clothing at Caline for Kids, 149 Main St. (in the center of town), Falmouth (tel. 508/548-2533), ranges from practical to elegant, and sometimes manages to be both. Sizes from newborn to 14 are available.

Europa, 628 Rte. 28A, West Falmouth (tel. 508/540-7814), features interesting and stylish international clothes and gifts. They add up to a sophisticated look, liberated from cookie-cutter predictability. There's also a small but adorable selection of clothes for very young children.

Food & Wine -- People drive from all over the region for the wine selection (and prices) at Kappy's, 21 Spring Bars Rd., off Route 28 (tel. 508/548-2600), the Cape's largest liquor, beer, and wine store. "Pick your own" is the password at the long-established Tony Andrews Farm and Produce Stand, 398 Old Meeting House Rd. (about 1 1/2 miles north of Rte. 28), East Falmouth (tel. 508/548-4717), where it's strawberries early in the summer, and tomatoes, sweet corn, and more as the season progresses. Of course, you can just buy them here without picking, though the Puritans wouldn't have approved. Coonamessett Farm, 277 Hatchville Rd. (about 1 mile east of Sandwich Rd.), Hatchville (tel. 508/563-2560), has a full farm stand of vegetables grown in the fields out back. You can pick your own vegetables, look at the farm animals (including two cute llamas), or rent a canoe for a paddle in the pond out back. A Vegetarian Buffet Dinner is served Friday and Saturday nights in season (5-8pm; $13 adults, $6.95 children, free for ages 5 and under) at the farm's cafe. The popular Jamaican Buffet Dinner on Wednesday nights in summer features jerk chicken and live reggae music.

Gifts -- Bojangles, 239 Main St. (tel. 508/548-9888), is a high-end gift shop/women's clothing boutique. Stop here for fun gifts and fine crafts, including exceptional hand-painted glassware. Oolala in the Queen's Buyway at 104 Palmer Ave., Falmouth (tel. 508/495-2888), is a riotous store with tons of colorful and funky gifts. Oolala Home, around the corner at 45 N. Main St. (tel. 508/495-3888), is still funky, but with glassware, kitchen accessories, rugs, and lighting.

Spa -- Bellezza Day Spa, 221 Main St. (tel. 508/299-8300), is perhaps the most luxurious beauty shop on Cape Cod. Set in a high-ceilinged store front on Falmouth's Main Street, the spa offers all manner of facials, waxings, massages, manicures, hair cuts, and other services.