Cape Atlantic Book Company
Read Furiously
Cape Atlantic Book Company
City Centre Mall, 2nd Fl
Top of the Escalator
421 Washington Street
Cape May, NJ 08204
What We Love:
Cape Atlantic Books is inside a little collection of shops on Washington Street Mall in Cape May. I visited in April and met Mary Ann Castagnetta who was subbing for the owner who wasn’t feeling well. She’s an author of children’s books that take place in Cape May and was so much fun to talk to. We chatted about the beach reading needs of Cape May visitors (Claudia Vance has a bunch of novels set in Cape May) and I mentioned that the store always has quite a few classics. I wondered if these are to serve area schoolchildren with reading lists. She said indeed they were, and that representatives from Cape Atlantic visit schools to promote reading. I would have loved a visit like that as a kid even though I was already an inspired reader.
I made another trip to Cape Atlantic in May and was very happy to find the proprietor, Peter Young taking care of the shop. (I was worried about him when Mary Ann said he wasn’t well.) We talked about the shop, its location, and Cape May seasons, and I remarked upon the primo view from the shop’s second floor windows. One can see Rotary Park and the Gazebo, the site of many concerts and events not limited to summer, the adorable Robert Shackleton Theater, and the recently built but very Victorian-looking Kings Ice Cream Parlour. Looking out upon these quaint features makes one feel as if they are in an old movie but in technicolor.
~ Margaret Montet, author of Nerd Traveler and Brooklyn Family Album
Bookstore Specialty:
Bestsellers, beach reads, New Jersey-themed books, puzzles, and games
Cape Atlantic Book Co. is part of the Washington Street Mall. You can plan an entire day out (and go to the beach!) on their the Washington Mall website.
Learn More:
You can find more information about Cape Atlantic Book Company, check out previews of their shelves, and stay up-to-date with their upcoming events on their Facebook page. You can’t find a more quintessential Cape May experience than this.
We are so excited to feature Cape Atlantic Book Company in our upcoming Indie Bookshops of New Jersey 2027 wall calendar. Preorders are open now. Calendars are printed with a limited print run, so preordering ensures you get a copy before they sell out. Calendars will ship out on August 25th. Or you can contact the store directly to get your copy!