Shop Guide

DOWNTOWN Shop Ocean City! OC’s Downtown is ready for you! Shop. Dine. Relax. 6th14th streets on Asbury Avenue.

APPAREL l SHOES Alyse’s Shoes 951 Asbury, 391-8859. B&B 827 Asbury, 391-0046. Bohemian Mama 741 Asbury, 938- 6466. Bowfish Kids 956 Asbury, 938-1901. Flying Carp Clothing Gallery 745 Asbury, 391-1546. Could Be Yours 716 Asbury, 703- 4457. Colette 900 Asbury, 525-0911. Donna Gay Dillon 725 Asbury, 399- 0082. Hearth & Sole 636 Asbury & 918 Asbury, 545-8562. Pappagallo 744 Asbury, 398-4009. Sunseekers 751 Asbury, 399-1640. Ta Dah Nine and Ten block of Asbury, 398-6771. 7th Street Surf Shop Clothing, sunglasses, surfboards. 720 Asbury, 398-7070. Sea Oats710 Asbury, 398-8399. Seagrass Boutique 752 Asbury, 938- 2398 Stainton’s A gallery of shops featuring gifts, clothes, jewelry and more. 810 Asbury, 545-8681.

ART GALLERIES Fine Arts League Local art available for purchase. 711 Asbury, 814-0308.

BEAUTY Lindsy James Salon945 Asbury, 525- 9900. Artisan Body Products 920 Asbury, 398-5661. BOOKS l CDS l OFFICE

Sun Rose Words & Music Books

756 Asbury, 399-9190.

FLORIST Spinning Wheel 858 Asbury, 398- 1157.

HOME GOODS l JEWELRY August Heart 715 Asbury, 399-1565. Blind Express 916 Asbury, 399-9940. Butterfly Boutique 1125 Asbury, 391- 0812. Cricket Box 810 Asbury, 391-0055. Glazed Over 704 Asbury, 398-8880. P. Francis846 Asbury, 399-5570. Spotted Whale 943 Asbury, 840-6667.

PET SHOP Animal House 705 Asbury, 398-3771.

SPORTS l ATHLETIC WEAR Harbor Outfitters625 Asbury, 938- 0175.

Sneaker Shop Janet and Maureen know their stuff. Sneakers and apparel. 704 Asbury, 391-5223.

SWEETS/GOURMET FOODS Rauhauser’s 721 Asbury, 399-1465. The Beachin' Bakery1046 Asbury.

VARIETY l BEACH ITEMS Hoy’s 5 & 10 7th & Asbury, 398- Hoys. Island Beach Gear Stop by on your way to the beach! 9th & Bay, 788- 3836.

BOARDWALK APPAREL Jilly’s T-Shirt Factory Get your Phillies at Jilly’s and lots more. 762, 936 and 1048 Boardwalk, 385-1234. BEAUTY LEH SoapHandmade soaps and body products. 1312 Boardwalk. 937 Asbury, open year round.

HOME GOODS l JEWELRY Henry’sOCs Landmark Jeweler OC hook bracelet, Alex & Ani, more. 1236 Boardwalk, 800-214-4435.

SWEETS AND TREATS Fudge Kitchen Candy that melts in your mouth. 800 Boardwalk, 398-7457. Jilly's Candy Factory 1040 Boardwalk, 385-1234.

Shriver’s Salt Water TaffyTaffy, fudge, candy. 9th and Boardwalk, 399-0100. Shriver’s Gelato Only gelato on Boards. 9th and Boardwalk, 399-0100.

BAY/WEST AVENUE & SIDE STREETS NEEDLEPOINT Scrim Discovery Needlepoint shop. Designer canvases. 924 Haven, 398- 6659.

RENTALS Relax Concierge Rent linens, and more online and at 232 West, 601- 5077.

ON THE WAY TO OC SPORTS TackleDirectThe finest in fishing tackle and value. 6825 Tilton, EHT, 788-3819.

APPAREL Yes She Can Bras, swimsuits, workout clothing. Bra fittings too. 30 Tuckahoe Road, 478-3266.

2020 AND BEYOND >> Get design inspiration and guidance at 17 Roosevelt Boulevard in Marmora.

TRENDS DOMPIERRE INTERIOR At Dompierre, clean and simple is the trend

D E S I G N

FUSSY is done. So is cluttered and overly busy design.

“The kids don’t want anything too elaborate,” said Jack Griffin. “East Lake Victorian would never work for them unless it was one piece in the room.”

On a sunny afternoon, Jack and Victor Dompierre of Dompierre Interior Design sat down in their showroom at 17 Roosevelt Boulevard in Marmora to talk about the business and what people will be looking for in 2020 and beyond.

Their consensus: simple lines, natural materials and a single, high impact piece in a room rather than shelves or walls full of knick-knacks, art or items.

“It’s just nothing fussy anymore,” Victor adds.

They’ve had the showroom for about six years, but Victor has been working in fabrication and interior design for far longer. He’s also the Dompierre in the partnership.

“That’s all I’m good for is the name,” he jokes, which prompted Barbara Murphy-Leary, the company’s brand manager who sat in on the interview, to start running through his qualifications.

“He’s an artist, really,” she said.

Originally from New Bedford, MA, Victor came to the region decades ago, but a few hints of South Coast remain when he says certain words, something Jack is quick to tease him about.

Victor later started designing and manufacturing costumes for Showboat, which is where he got his start in fabrication. At the business, he produces items for customers, including custom furniture, drapes and more. Barbara adds that he now also has the title of inventor, for a reversible pillow called Finaryrre which the three are now producing.

“In the middle of the Covid, we’re launching a business,” Jack said.

Jack and Victor were recently married, but they’ve been together for years. When New Jersey approved domestic partnerships in 2004, they moved quickly.

“We were the fourth couple in the county,” Jack said.

His career was as a music teacher. Music remains important to him, he said, and he plays several instruments, including guitar and violin, but he is most comfortable with a keyboard. He has recently been focused on the accordion.

“He was retiring and needed something to do,” Victor said. For about 20 years, Victor’s business focused on wholesale and working with other businesses. From the Marmora showroom they would deal directly with customers.

The former residence that is now home to their showroom is near where they live. It was in rough shape, they said, left vacant for years before they fixed it up. They put extensive work inside and out, including the landscaping. The gardens were in riotous bloom on a recent visit.

“The people in the township are very happy that there is no longer an eyesore on Roosevelt Boulevard,” Jack said. “People are so complimentary all the time. We’ve made an investment in our area.”

Jack has also been active locally, serving on the Planning Board

and the former Economic Development Advisory Commission as well as taking a leadership role in the Upper Township Business Association. His parents live nearby. Jack said they’ve been married for 74 years and described them as an inspiration.

Jack is the managing partner, Victor the fabricator. It may be an oversimplification, but Victor spends much of his time in the downstairs workshop while Jack handles the books.

“The funny thing is, we both work in the same building, but we have a lot to talk about at night,” Victor said. “Sometimes we go an entire day without seeing each other.”

The business also does installation. They work on shore houses throughout the area and on year-round residences well beyond, as customers bring them in for jobs from the Main Line to New York.

They have four designers, they said, and 11 staff members, both full time and part time.

“We try to make it a family atmosphere. It’s a nice environment to work in,” Jack said. “We celebrate birthdays.”

The company also offers continuing education to the staff, they said, to make sure members understand the coming trends, know the new colors and follow what’s happening in the industry. They said they also seek to educate their customers on design and materials.

For instance, there are some materials that are a terrible choice for the shore. Silk is a poor choice for near the ocean, Victor said. There are several options in high performance fabrics that can allow for an elegant look for a beach house, but even a light-color couch made from them can be cleaned after a grandchildren-driven chocolate ice cream disaster.

Victor said the latest fabrics can feel as inviting and comfortable as cotton

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while offering enhanced durability and stain protection.

Look for more prominent use of natural materials like wood, bamboo and bone, along with industrial elements, presented in metal light fixtures, controls and lighting. That may seem like an edgy, cold look, but combined with other elements it can be comfortable and inviting, Jack said.

Customers are interested in sustainability, Jack said, pushing designers to look for ways to use recycled materials and renewable options like bamboo. LED lighting uses less energy than other options and can present a variety of options.

Walls are often done in a calming gray, and blue will continue to be a prominent design choice.

“Blue has been trending for several years,” Jack said. “There’s a projection for 2021 that it will get even darker.”

Navy and other dark shades of blue are already in use, he said, but future shades may look almost black in the design.

Both Jack and Victor said simplicity is the biggest trend. Fine china, silverware and tea sets that were expected to pass from generation to generation are now ending up in thrift shops.

“When I talk to some parents, they don’t know what to do with their old stuff. The kids don’t want it,” Victor said.

A single piece that has stood the test of time may be used as the centerpiece of a room, Jack added, calling that look “modern rustic.”

“Most of the millennials want a clear, clean space with specific things in there,” Jack said, with an emphasis on sustainability.

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Needlepoint offers refuge in an unquiet world.

shop talk

SCRIM DISCOVERY

BUSY HANDS, QUIET MIND

SALLY HAYES first learned to stitch at age 11, when a neighbor offered to teach her.

“Innately, I was very attracted to textiles,” she said. “My grandmother was a very prolific quilter.”

Her grandmother came from Ireland, and those quilts were used as gifts, especially where they would be needed most, Sally said.

Needlepoint and other crafts were something Sally did on and off, when the mood struck her.

“It’s always been a love and a passion,” she said. Eventually, it became her career.

For the past seven years, Sally has owned and operated Scrim Discovery Needlepoint at 924 Haven Avenue. For years before that, she worked with the store’s founder, Donna Wilson, who started the store in 1977.

The store offers hand-painted needlepoint canvases by more than 60 different artists, tools and accessories and a variety of threads. They also offer finishing services. It’s the only store of its kind in the region, she said, so some customers travel considerable distances.

The art has a long history. Needlepoint has been used to decorate items for hundreds of years. Recently, Sally has seen a surge in popularity, as many people look for a stress-free project. She described the work as moving meditation.

“There’s a serenity to it. I always say ‘when the hands are busy, the mind is quiet,’” she said. “During this time, it’s really risen. It’s an extraordinary thing. It’s such a gift.”

The store was closed because of the pandemic, for a time relying on internet orders. Interviewed while emergency orders remained in effect in New Jersey, Sally had a table set up on the store’s covered front porch where she could meet with customers and deliver threads and canvases with contactless payment.

“I’m doing porch pickups and private appointments,” she said. There are also kits and other items displayed in the front window.

Inside, an incredible variety of canvases line the walls. Each are painted by hand on a coarse cotton grid – an archaic name for it is a scrim – depicting anything from seashore scenes to wild animals. Look for plenty of sailboats, surfboards and mermaids, but there are also plenty of whimsical characters, Christmas designs, patriotic themes and a sheep that seems blissful about the flower it’s eating.

The canvas is mounted on a frame, and the crafter draws the thread through to replicate the design in fiber. There are multiple varieties of thread, including wool, silk, cotton and metallic, and the artist may decide from any number of decorative stitches to render the design.

One option for many grandparents has been to create a pattern from a child’s drawing.

“It’s wonderful. It creates an heirloom to never be forgotten,” she said. “Most people hold that close.”

The child might draw a sandcastle from a beach visit or some of the rides and then that could become a needlepoint work.

from other media, while others are created for the needlepoint canvas. She spoke of one artist who prepares custom work. For instance, Sally recently commissioned a peony, which has proven to be a popular design.

Most of her customers are women, she said, but there are a few men who have taken up the craft. Some are retirees, and she makes a point to mention that there are a few firefighters. Some come up with their own designs.

Sally grew up in Wildwood, and spent 12 years in Washington, DC working as an administrative assistant for a corporate law firm.

“One day I was on the Beltway and I said, ‘It’s not me.’ I couldn’t stand it. It went to eight lanes and it was not me,” she said. She wanted to get back to the ocean, where she said she could breathe better. A friend lived

Once the work is completed, Sally and her crew at Scrim Discovery can in Ocean City, which she decided was close enough to her family, but not help present the finished piece. She had examples of framed, completed too close. In the early 1990s, she was set to head back to the Jersey shore. work, or pieces on jackets, pillows or bags. Needlework can be incorporated But there was a catch. into furniture, lamps, belts or almost anything else imaginable. “I had met Lawrence when I was already planning to move,” she said.

Sally showed off a recently completed wooden box in tiger maple with a She already had a place rented, but then here was this guy. needlework piece displaying the tools of the craft set in the top. “We were dating and he said he loved me and wanted to marry me. I

It’s a big deal to get a needlepoint gift. Sally said a single complicated piece said well, I’m heading to the beach,” Sally said. “He came with me.” 45 609-398-1961 M BEACH WEAR arty’s Established 1980 Follow us on Facebook – Marty’s Sportswear Ocean City magazine CELEBRATING 40 YEARS! 1262 Boardwalk, Ocean City, NJ 08226 • martysocnj.com You’ll love our prices! 609-398-1961 FACEBOOK: Marty’s Sportswear may represent months of work and there is a cost to the materials. But she did not want to scare off anyone considering trying their hand, saying the shop has a number of options to help people get started. “You start the stitch on the diagonal and then the magic happens,” she said. While in the store, talking about both her long-time customers and the artists who create the designs, Sally gets more and more caught up in the moment, praising the work she gets to be part of. Some designs are adapted They decided to spend some time traveling. They visited Europe. “We ran around the world for a little bit,” she said. Sally thought that if they could travel together, they would be able to live together. Years later, they’re still together. Her husband Lawrence helps in the shop along with his other work. She remains friends with Donna Wilson. “It’s been the most extraordinary seven years of owning it and loving what I do,” Sally said. - text and photos by Bill Barlow