By MARTHA SCANLON FISH
When my husband and I purchased our first home earlier this year, we received many pieces of advice, the most interesting of which was from a good family friend who said we should move in nothing but a couch, sit on it for a week, and look around to decide what we need. In the end, it wasn’t bad advice, as it can be hard to know what you truly need when you move into a new house.
If you’re looking for a special gift for the new homeowner in your life, you might consider artwork, whether off-the-shelf or custom-designed by one of the Upper Cape’s many talented artists. Reflections by Robin on Barlows Landing Road in Pocasset offers coastal-inspired window and mirror art, including an exclusive design by owner Robin Pierson for the holiday season. The 2015 holiday design is a 6-inch by 8-inch frame with a starfish, sand dollar, small shell, and reflective turquoise glass for $38. Ms. Pierson also creates larger, custom pieces and holds local artisan events throughout the year, featuring paintings, pottery, and other gifts perfect for new homeowners.
At Hatchville Pottery, potter Hollis Engley creates stoneware vases, cups, bowls, platters, and teapots that are influenced by Asian, 20th century English, and American studio pottery. A beautiful and functional gift, his pottery is available at the studio on Boxberry Hill Road with a limited selection for sale at Dana’s Kitchen on Palmer Avenue in Sippewissett.
Gifts with a reference to regional history can be found at the Sandwich Glass Museum store on Main Street, which features reproductions of 19th century glassware from the height of the town’s famous glassblowing era, including pitchers, plates, cups, candlestick holders, starting at $11. The museum store also carries distinctive glass art ornaments and vases blown by local artists.
You could have a photo framed at a frame shop, such as Picture This in Sandwich or Woodruff’s Art Center in Mashpee, or purchase a photo from a local Cape Cod photographer. Falmouth-based travel and nature photographer Aaron Fritzinger sells a variety of prints taken at beaches like Old Silver and Chapoquoit, as well as photos from his travels across the country to national parks. Notecards featuring flowers and nautical scenes start at $10, while framed 8-inch by 10-inch prints start at $35. Large format prints and canvases can also be created from his gallery of work for a customized piece of art. A gallery of his photos can be viewed on his Facebook page, Aaron Fritzinger Photography.
For a classic Cape Cod gift, stores like Maiden Voyage in Mashpee Commons and Twigs on Main Street in Falmouth have beach-themed signs and home accessories like throw pillows and hand towels featuring anchors and sea life.
If you prefer practical gifts, real estate agent Diane Salter of Vincent Associates in Falmouth recommends gift cards. “I often give buyers gift certificates to various hardware stores, home stores, or more personal items if I know the buyers well.” After we moved into our new house, a friend gave us a gift card to Eastman’s Hardware on Main Street in Falmouth, which we used within days to buy new doorknobs and locks for the house. Gift cards to local restaurants are also useful, since it can take weeks for new homeowners to set up their kitchen to cook. (We ordered pizza almost every day for the first week.)
Since many new homeowners have come from apartments where property maintenance was included in rent, landscaping supplies like rakes or leaf blowers, or power tools like drills, sanders, and power washers can come in handy. The Wood Lumber Company on Locust Street in Falmouth sells a full range of products for construction and renovation, and Mahoney’s Garden Center on Route 28 in East Falmouth carries lawn and garden tools.
With winter around the corner, a kit with a snow shovel and some ice remover is another helpful and practical gift. Depending on your budget, you could even spring for a snow blower, which range from $300 to over $1,000. Or, call up your local plow person and arrange to pay for snow removal for the winter’s first couple of storms. (But, if this winter is anything like last winter, you might want to tell your homeowners that they’re on their own after the third consecutive plowable snowfall.)
Prefer to give a gift that the homeowner can enjoy in warmer weather? Patio furniture and sets are always a good bet. Paine’s Patio on MacArthur Boulevard in Bourne sells colorful Adirondack chairs starting around $350, as well as full patio sets in aluminum, teak, and wicker materials. If the new homeowner already has a patio set, grills are also a great and functional gift that they can enjoy for many months of the year. Breakaway on Route 28 in Mashpee has propane, natural gas, charcoal, and electric grills in a range of prices.
Yet perhaps the best gift you can give a new homeowner is the gift of your time. When our closing was delayed, my husband and I had no idea how we were going to make all of the updates we had planned to our house, let alone move out of our apartment before our lease was up in less than two weeks. But, thanks to a hard-working group of family and friends who spent their entire Memorial Day weekend and several evenings during the week helping, we were able to clean the house from top to bottom, completely redo the floors, and paint the whole first floor. Those same friends and family showed up to help us move the next weekend. Even if you lack the skills required for installing a hardwood floor or edging a wall, show up with a pizza (or beer) and some words of encouragement. I can guarantee it will be appreciated as much as any gift.