Driving Route 6A, the Old King's Highway, in Yarmouth Port, you'll pass a number of antiques stores and fine shops for the home. Unless you have children in tow, you may want to bypass Route 28 entirely and stay on the pretty north side of Yarmouth.
Antiques/Collectibles -- Check out Town Crier Antiques, 153 Rte. 6A (in the center of town), Yarmouth Port (tel. 508/362-3138), for fun stuff such as well-priced quilts, glassware, and attendant paraphernalia. Closed November to mid-May.
Books -- The most colorful bookshop on the Cape (if not the whole East Coast) is Parnassus Books, 220 Rte. 6A (about 1/4 mile east of the town center), Yarmouth Port (tel. 508/362-6420). This jam-packed repository -- housed in an 1858 Swedenborgian church -- is the creation of Ben Muse, who has been collecting and selling vintage tomes since the 1960s. Relevant new stock, including the Cape-related reissues published by Parnassus Imprints, is offered alongside the older treasures. Don't expect much handholding on the part of the gruff proprietor. You'll earn his respect by knowing what you're looking for or, better yet, being willing to browse until it finds you. The outdoor racks, maintained on an honor system, are open 24 hours a day, for those who suffer from abibliophobia -- fear of lacking for reading material.
Gifts/Home Decor -- To emulate that Cape look -- breezy chic -- study the key ingredients artfully assembled at Design Works, 159 Rte. 6A (in the center of town), Yarmouth Port (tel. 508/362-9698): stripped-pine antiques, crisp linens, and colorful majolica.
The design approach at Peach Tree Designs, 173 Rte. 6A (in the center of town), Yarmouth Port (tel. 508/362-8317), is much more adventurous and eclectic. A bold hand is evident in the juxtaposition of disparate elements, from hunting prints to beribboned hats, model ships to hand-woven throws. The gift pickings are superlative as well -- especially if you're shopping for yourself.
