A Season for Islanders

As the last ripples of summer settle, Islanders come into their own again, our own rhythms no longer so dependent on tending to the visitors. Now we can stay up late watching the whole nine innings, or more. Now we can take time to savor the juicy flesh of the Island’s Tiasquin apples, firm and sweet and just tart enough.

There are beach walks, lately off limits, to rediscover.What’s more surprising, there are new businesses to discover. Passing the windows of ten dollar T-shirts, shoppers in Vineyard Haven can stock up on coffee, tea and other sensory treats at a just-opened, tucked-away providore, Tilton’s Market. Those aware of a sudden emptiness in Aquinnah can follow the tantalizing smell of bread, freshly baked for the community, emanating from The Orange Peel, a new up-Island bakery.

These two join a treasured cache of shopkeepers whose business plans make ample room for the pleasures of the year-round community. The restaurants that keep satisfying our gusto for gathering and food, the book stores that nourish our imagination and curiosity, the clothiers ready to meet our desire for a colorful sweater once the swelter of summer becomes almost forgotten. Under their signs, a community stretches out for the season.