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, 9386466. Bowfish Kids 956 Asbury, 938-1901. Flying Carp Clothing Gallery 745 Asbury, 391-1546. Could Be Yours 716 Asbury, 7034457. Colette 900 Asbury, 525-0911. Donna Gay Dillon 725 Asbury, 3990082. 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 Oats 710 Asbury, 398-8399. Seagrass Boutique 752 Asbury, 9382398 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 Salon 945 Asbury, 5259900. Artisan Body Products Soaps, lotions, baskets, gifts 920 Asbury, 398-5661. BOOKS l CDS l OFFICE

Sun Rose Words & Music Books

756 Asbury, 399-9190.

FLORIST Spinning Wheel 858 Asbury, 3981157.

HOME GOODS l JEWELRY August Heart 715 Asbury, 399-1565. Blind Express 916 Asbury, 399-9940. Butterfly Boutique 1125 Asbury, 3910812. Cricket Box 810 Asbury, 391-0055. Glazed Over 704 Asbury, 398-8880. P. Francis 846 Asbury, 399-5570. Spotted Whale 943 Asbury, 840-6667.

PET SHOP Animal House Shop the holiday and winter collection. Gifts, accessories, treats, grain free food. 705 Asbury, 398-3771.

SPORTS l ATHLETIC WEAR Harbor Outfitters 625 Asbury, 9380175. 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' Bakery 1046 Asbury.

VARIETY l BEACH ITEMS Hoy’s 5 & 10 7th & Asbury, 398Hoys. Island Beach Gear Stop by on your way to the beach! 9th & Bay, 7883836.

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 Soap Handmade soaps and body products. 1312 Boardwalk. 937 Asbury, open year round.

HOME GOODS l JEWELRY Henry’s OCs 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 Taffy Taffy, 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, 3986659.

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

ON THE WAY TO OC

SPORTS TackleDirect The 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.

IT’S AN EXPERIENCE Pop into 1123 Asbury Avenue and gain a fresh perspective on these specialty items.

TRENDS

CAPELLA’S OIL & VINEGAR Oil and vinegar mix with bold flavors at Asbury location

GROWING UP in Hammonton, NJ, Debbie Capella’s father’s Italian heritage showed. He was the chef of the family, she said. When she decided to launch her own business, she sought to honor his heritage.

About three years ago, she opened Capella’s Oil and Vinegar on Tilton Road in Northfield, in a shopping center called London Square. But she wanted to be in Ocean City.

“Everything’s great here. The people are wonderful,” she said. “It took me a while, but I finally got here.”

She found a spot at 1123 Asbury Avenue. She appreciated her customers in Northfield, she said, but this location sees more foot traffic strolling by, which means customers are far more likely to stop in to check out the store, even if they did not set out to find her.

Some of the Atlantic County customers have followed her to the new location.

“And I’m so grateful and thankful to them, that they did travel,” Debbie said. “Yes, it’s only 10 minutes but you have to go over the bridge. They are finding their way here.”

The shop is lined with polished steel containers, with a variety of olive oils on one side, balsamic vinegars on the other. The store also offers a variety of other delicacies, including imported pastas, olives, sea salts, jars of artichokes, pestos and a variety of tomato-based sauces. Or gravies. Or, it depends. The age-old argument remains alive and well.

“I call it gravy,” Debbie said, true to her Hammonton roots. “The dictionary definition is anything that’s made with meat is gravy.”

She offers pasta sauces with sausage, pork, beef or other ingredients.

“We put meat in there so we call it gravy,” she said.

There are also gourmet jellies and jams, along with a variety of gift items, including kitchen ware and some beautiful plates and utensils. A striking wooden salad bowl and wooden spoons were carved from olive wood, Debbie said.

The oils and vinegars are the main attraction and the focus of the store.

Launching a new business in 2020 presented some extraordinary challenges, some of which remain. The emergency measures in the spring meant the store could not open until June. She was also limited in other ways, unable to hold special events or offer some kinds of samples.

Debbie was able to give tastes, though.

“You can still taste the oils and the vinegars. But I do it, so that it’s controlled,” she said.

She puts a small amount of oil or of vinegar in a disposable cup, so customers can have a sip. On a recent visit, the first taste was of an olive oil infused with Tuscan herbs. This first sip, slipped under a cloth mask, coats the tongue and slides down smoothly. Initially, it’s all about texture before the complicated combination of herbs blossoms on the taste buds. Oregano adds a slight bite, blending with the rosemary, marjoram and garlic.

Many experts tout the virtues of olive oil, which is loaded with antioxidants, and is shown to work as an anti-inflammatory and help protect against heart disease.

Another taste combines vinegar and oil, with a lemon infused vinegar giving a brightness to the flavor.

Vinegar, too, has long been held to offer health benefits. It’s great

for digestion, Debbie said. Its use as a tonic dates to ancient times. Hypocrites – the Greek guy from the doctor’s oath – is reported to have recommended it for patients.

In this context, it’s all about the flavors.

Debbie said her distributor works directly with the farmers, who press olives twice a year to produce the extra virgin olive oil.

“I really like this company. I had been using this product for a really long time,” Debbie said.

The balsamic vinegar is from Italy, and undergoes a multistep aging process. The grapes are from the Italian region of Modena, she said.

“Just like Champagne has to come from a particular region of France, it’s the same with these grapes in order to make it a balsamic vinegar,” Debbie said.

She enjoys working with the customers, trying different combinations of oils and vinegars and recommending pairings.

“And that’s the fun part, is you get to taste everything,” Debbie said. “You’re not buying something that you’re going to take home and not like. You tried it and you know you like it.

“You get to experience the fun of tasting it and the different things that you can do with the oils and balsamics.”

At the front of the store near the entrance is a display of the current recommended tasting.

“This is the wild mushroom and sage olive oil paired with the red apple balsamic, which is great for fall,” she said.

While it may be fun to taste the products straight up in the store, that’s not how most will be used at home. Debbie has a plethora of recommendations.

“You can use them for everything. You can marinate with them. You can use them as a salad dressing. You can cook with them or use it as a drizzle to finish your meats or drizzle them on cheese,” she said.

She recommends some as an ice cream topping, such as the black cherry or dark chocolate-infused vinegars. She suggested customers can let their imaginations run wild, and not stick to vanilla as a base.

“That’s up to your tastes. You can be very creative,” she said.

She uses the vinegars to create iced teas or to flavor sparkling water. The beverage tastes great with no added sugars.

“You can even make cocktails,” she said.

Debbie said she has plans for a cookbook to eventually be available in the store.

Part of the inspiration was to honor her parents, she said. She also thought there was a need.

“We just didn’t have anything that I knew of like this around here,” she said.

The store has a web presence, at capellaoilandvinegars.com, but Debbie said she would rather see the customers in person, and for them to have the chance to immerse themselves in the place, and to experience the smells and tastes of the infused oils and vinegars before making a choice.

The website does offer some chances to make connections as well, with recipes posted there and an option for customers to offer their own stories.

Debbie bottles the oils and vinegars on site. Most are the same price, $13.95 or $19.95 depending on the size.

Some options run slightly more, such as the white truffle olive oil. She said the products are all natural, with no artificial ingredients.

Once the world returns a little more to normal, she said, she plans to bring in samples of her own cooking to show what can be done with the oils and vinegars, as well as the other specialty items.

The oils from around the world use the agrumato method, with options like blood orange, lemon on chipotle. The vinegars include no thickeners, caramel colors or added sugars and are aged in wooden barrels in the traditional Solera system.

“I want people to come in and experience this,” Debbie said.

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Visit them at 841 Central Avenue

shop talk

GOLDEN BUDDHA YOGA

COMMUNITY IS AT THE CORE OF GOLDEN BUDDHA YOGA

THREE main ingredients make up Golden Buddha at 841 Central Avenue, the yoga studio, the café and the gift shop. Which element is the most important?

The community, said Courtney Lloyd, a yoga teacher who manages the business.

“I think the community is the most important part,” she said. She’s worked at the studio for about a year and described feeling that sense of connection from the start, from the first time she walked in. She described it as an allencompassing experience.

“There’s no Buddha Bar without the studio, but there’s no studio without the community. The community is what pulls it all together. We have an amazing community here,” she said.

She’s crouched on a comfy couch in a set-aside section of the business called the Peacock Room. There are no shelves with products, just a spot where people can gather after class, chat and enjoy their beverages.

Entering the shop, a variety of clothing hangs to the left, seating and shelves of products and books to the right, and a wide bar where a variety of specialty drinks are served up at the back of the space.

On the shelves are a variety of books, along with honey, dried mushrooms, gifts and crystals, as well as a brown ukulele at the ready. Down a hallway is the yoga studio, with polished dark wood floors and a red brick wall.

The studio is the beating heart of the business, offering a regular schedule of classes in a variety of styles and at a variety of levels. Cailin Callahan, the owner of the business, started it teaching yoga on the beach, building a loyal following and nurturing a community.

Cailin grew up in Cape May County, surfing the local breaks on her longboard and working as a singer and yoga teacher. She said Golden Buddha grew organically, describing herself as an accidental yoga studio owner.

“Everything has been accidental like that. I never forced anything,” she said in a phone interview. Cailin was out of the area when the interview took place. The yoga studio started out at a different location on Asbury Avenue, at first as just a logical next step for the beach yoga classes. Since the start, there have been two Asbury locations before Golden Buddha found its current home.

“I thought I’ll rent a place for the summer and just go traveling again,” she said. She signed a lease on a building that she said was nowhere close to ready.

“I did not sleep for three straight days,” she said. There was room to teach classes and a small section up front for some merchandise. But when she was set to hit the road, the studio had taken on a life of its own.

“When it came time for me to leave in September, the teachers and the community still wanted a studio. We already had our community,” she said. “When I came back a month later, the building had sold, and my community had

already moved me to a new building. It’s kind of always just run itself.”

She had not seen the building when the business purchased it. Today, she said, many of the people coming to Golden Buddha classes don’t even know her. She expects to spend even less time on site as she works on a Golden Buddha project in western Mexico.

“I’ll be popping in from time to time, but mostly spending time in Baja at the Peace Sanctuary,” she said. The retreat has several buildings, “luxury safari tents” and a yoga studio, along with views of the surrounding mountains and of the Pacific. Information on the retreat center on the Golden Buddha website uses the name in Spanish, El Sanctuario de Paz.

“That’s a pretty spectacular project that really needs my attention,” she said.

According to Courtney, the Ocean City location remains suffused with Cailin’s spirit, with items she picked up on her travels, including Moroccan jewelry and Mala beads (a type of prayer beads) she dipped in a sacred river in India.

“She has her own clothing line, which supports her community in Baja,” said Courtney. She said Cailin looks to small businesses, especially those owned by women, with an emphasis on fair trade and sustainability.

“She cares about where she buys from,” Courtney said. “Our CBD oil, she knows where that comes from. She knows the people that run the farm. She’s very particular about that.”

CBD products are available for sale, and the hempderived ingredient, which is not psychoactive, can be added to specialty drinks at the bar. Many of the ingredients used have healing properties, Courtney said, including some derived from mushrooms like reishi and lion’s mane.

“Our owner, Cailin, is really knowledgeable about all of that and she’s taught us well,” Courtney said. On a recent weekend, Amanda Shockley was behind the bar, mixing up coffee drinks, herbal beverages, and caffeine free beverages with a base of coconut milk made at the store.

“She’s a magician behind the bar. She really is,” said Courtney of Amanda. Amanda said it is the love that goes into the preparation that makes it magic.

“I’m a big foodie. I have never had food like I’ve had here. I’m not just saying that because I make it now. This food is unique and authentic and different. It makes you feel like you’re somewhere else,” Amanda said. It includes using organic and homemade ingredients.

The seasonal menu also features small plates like hummus and a mushroom and vegan pesto on sourdough for the fall. They do not offer single-use containers.

The drinks are something special, Amanda said.

“I don’t know, they’re, like, innocent. They’re just so pure and light. They make you happy,” she said. “We put a lot of love into all of our food. There’s intention behind it.”

In the yoga studio, Courtney sits behind her tall white bowls, which each resonate to a different note. Think of a finger along the edge of a crystal wineglass, but with a sound that vibrates the room as she combines notes.

Courtney is one of several yoga teachers at Golden Buddha. They each have their own styles she said, describing them all as amazing. She tries to keep her yoga practice connected to its origins, using the Sanskrit names and including elements beyond what would be seen as an exercise class. Yoga is not just squats and stretches, she said.

“I got into yoga because of health reasons,” she said. “I realized that the physical part was just a small portion of it. I ended up diving way deep into it. There’s mind, there’s the body and then there is the soul part of it.”

For a complete list of classes and teachers, as well as the café menu and more information, see www.goldenbuddhayoga.com. - by Bill Barlow