Customers don’t just come and go at Cuffy’s of Cape Cod — they come and stay for hours to take in all the experiential retail that the enormous West Dennis, Massachusetts, gift and souvenir store has to offer.
This is no ordinary store. The 20,000-square-foot storefront stretches along a quaint boardwalk atop a pond and colorful landscaping, with buildings reminiscent of the turn of the 20th century. The coastal store offers gifts and souvenirs for people of all ages visiting Cape Cod, including T-shirts, sweatshirts, toys, plush, home goods, pet accessories and other New England mementos.
This picturesque Cape Cod retail destination became a reality just within the past year. Cuffy’s of Cape Cod embarked on a major expansion project in 2020, and Owner Dominic “Cuffy” Albano says he and his team put some final touches on it this summer. He says the spot has become a go-to destination for visitors to Cape Cod.
Captivating store displays include a historic boats showing off T-shirts.
Photos: Bryan Stearns
“A lot of people say, ‘location, location, location.’ But I say, ‘concept, concept, concept,’” says Albano. “I wasn’t concerned about the location or worried that people like to shop online nowadays. I’ve always believed in concept. In other words, I’ve got this ‘build it, and they will come’ attitude. It was more important to put energy into creating a place that is something different and better than what they’ll get elsewhere. I wanted to put my eggs in one basket by creating a concept, that destination store.
He adds, “Everything we’re doing here is to create a very positive, uplifting experience for people that they might not get every day. It’s a chance for families to leave their cares and worries at the door.”
Starting small
Cuffy’s of Cape Cod had a humble start — Albano first got into retail by selling souvenirs as a side hustle. The company started in 1980 when Albano graduated from college and sold souvenir T-shirts from the top of his mother’s car on Route 28 in West Dennis. Albano purchased 300 misprint T-shirts for $1 each and sold them for $2 each.
By 1984, Albano moved his souvenir business into its flagship building and Cuffy’s of Cape Cod officially began. He says the Cape Cod retail business has been evolving ever since then, too.
“I was about 25 years old at that time,” Albano recalls. “I built the first phase of what was my West Dennis location, and then from there, I rented other sites on Cape Cod for other retail storefronts. And eventually I would add to the West Dennis location.”
Over the past 45 years, Albano says he opened “at least a dozen stores,” most of which were on Cape Cod. At least one store opened in Rhode Island as well. Albano notes that each store had a slightly different concept or retail focus.
But, he adds, he shifted gears when he came up with a concept almost 20 years ago to turn his flagship West Dennis store into a go-to Cape Cod destination.
Store displays include plush beach and sea creatures beneath sand sculptures.
“I was inspired to create a nostalgic concept of Cape Cod with the store, celebrating some of the different elements or buildings and gems of the cape,” says Albano, noting that he got his inspiration from Disney World and its Main Street USA.
“I wanted to create a place where people could step back in time to the turn of the century, with an old candy shop, an old general store, an emporium and a beach club.”
Albano partnered with some designers to develop a nostalgic shopping destination concept for Cuffy’s of Cape Cod’s West Dennis store about 20 years ago, but the vision remained a concept for quite a while.
Cuffy’s had obtained permits to expand many years ago, but Albano says he wanted to wait to make sure he had financing in place for a project of this size.
About five years ago, Albano took a risk — he decided to go for it with the expansion project at the West Dennis store.
“Ultimately, I wasn’t able to get the amount of financing I wanted, but I decided to take small bites and a piecemeal approach to getting things built over a longer period of time.”
Building an attraction
Over a span of four years, Cuffy’s of Cape Cod tripled the size of its flagship store, complete with distinct sections in the store that make it an experience for shoppers.
The expanded store has a lot to see and do: At the very front of the store, a 20-ton sand sculpture greets guests. A new sand sculpture goes up each year, too. The boardwalk and pond right outside also add to the store’s coastal feel.
Guests can then walk into the emporium, which is inspired by grand seaside hotels from the turn of the century. As they keep walking, another section is themed like a general store with retro souvenirs and gifts.
Customers can also find a confectionery, full of candy souvenirs and even a wall that spells out “Cape Cod” using jellybeans. Another section is themed like an old lifesaving station and then a retro beach club.
From the outside, Cuffy’s of Cape Cod looks like an outdoor mall with many small merchants, but Albano says it’s all connected on the inside.
Albano says the store invites customers to stay a while with coastal-themed cornhole as well as rocking chairs and checkerboard tables located just outside the store.
Cuffy’s store’s name-drop coastal home decor items are a hit.
While Cuffy’s of Cape Cod has pared down to just its flagship store in West Dennis today, Albano says there’s value to this approach.
“I’d rather have one store doing what 10 stores do,” he explains. “I like the destination concept. You can concentrate on one place and do it really well and do it bigger and better, and hopefully we’ll have a bit of a captive audience here. Everything here was carefully crafted and designed, but now it’s all lined up. It took years and years, and a whole lot of patience.”
Custom, custom, custom
A 13,000-square-foot buildout meant adding a lot of merchandise to the store these past few years. Just like with the store’s concept and design, Albano says he and his team were very intentional when deciding what products to add to the store.
“Most of the product, whether it’s apparel or any other souvenir items in here, we design or have manufactured for us with our own ideas and concepts,” says Albano. “We’ll spend all year designing next year’s lineup, from the colors to the designs.”
He adds, “Everything is carefully laid out and designed on the computer first with our products. We don’t just throw things out there on the sales floor. Everything is custom, custom, custom — it’s well thought out to meet our desire and objectives.”
Albano estimates that about 80% of the products are unique to Cuffy’s of Cape Cod, featuring either the Cuffy’s or Cape Cod name drop.
Apparel is big for the store, with many families stopping in for matching Cape Cod T-shirts or sweatshirts to commemorate their vacations. Customers can even take home a matching Cape Cod hoodie for their furry friends if they want.
Kids gravitate toward the playful plush island, with an animatronic singing bear on top named “Big Moe,” while people of all ages enjoy browsing the store’s locally procured penny candy selection and foods.
Albano notes that while he could likely boost revenue by selling some of the store’s branded items online, there’s something special about only having them available in-store.
“I don’t want people to lose the guest experience they can get here,” he says. “I want people to wait until they get here. I believe there’s a certain anticipation for guests, so if they come here once a year or a couple of times a year, it makes the purchase at Cuffy’s more special.”
Never really done
The new Cuffy’s of Cape Cod always attracts a crowd of customers, particularly in the busy summer months. Albano jokes that rainy summer days are perfect for business.
“When it’s not a beach day in Cape Cod, it gets pretty busy in here!” he says. “Last year on Fourth of July, we had rain so we filled the parking lot and all the way down the street. For us, a rain day can triple our business.”
Albano adds that the store employs well over 100 people in the summertime, with the store open from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m.
And while Albano loves the store’s new design, what he enjoys more is connecting with customers.
“There’s plenty of challenge with doing this, building out Cuffy’s,” he says. “But I would say, definitely, the connection with the guests is really nice. I had one woman who told me that she’s been coming here ever since her son was 18 months old. Her son is now 35 and has his own 18-month-old kid, and they’re coming here. That’s a great feeling.”
While Cuffy’s of Cape Cod has completed a major buildout, Albano says he hopes to keep evolving his retail concept.
“The real thing is, hopefully, that this will never really be done,” he says. “We’re wrapping up landscape work right now, but there are additional push carts and food elements that will hopefully be coming for next summer. We’re looking to add something to it all the time.”
