Photography by Kirsten Beckerman
Divine Décor
Walter & Walton’s Emporium is where the Shore’s interior design-minded come to find the latest home accents: leopard shade-topped glass lamps, sculptural ceramic vases, and oversized, stained-glass tumblers. While the shell-embossed aluminum plates were a tempting acquisition, it was the elongated sage-green candles with hand-painted leaf accents that really lit our fire. 23 Market St. 757-787-1995.
Tern, Tern, Tern
Hand-carved birds in various stages of completion have the rule of the roost at Robert Swain’s working studio, One Good Tern. His artful and elegant egrets, herons, geese, shorebirds—even roosters—make for an ideal Eastern Shore memento. Prices range from $50 to $2,500. 59 Market St. 757-710-0814.M
Dig It
Hardcore gardeners—and those who love them—have really hit pay dirt at GardenArt, with its extensive selection of English–made gardening tools, bulbs, and bevy of garden-themed gifts. (We fawned over the beach stone table runners and oh-so-cute frog and dragonfly placecard holders.) Out back, peruse the “garden,” budding with herbs, unusual perennials and annuals, and topiaries. What to get your garden-loving hostess? We think the bunches of dried French lavender will do nicely. 44 King St. 757-787-8818 or gardenartonking.com.
Wine & Dine
For a respite from shopping, stop in the Charlotte Hotel & Restaurant for a glass of vino and a turn through the art gallery, where co-owner Charlotte Heath’s watercolors take center stage. Feeling a bit peckish? Enjoy Chef Ted Cathey’s creative American cuisine (we gobbled down his yellow beet soup with braised lamb and crème fraîche) in the intimate thirty-three-seat dining room. Guests can also dine at the cozy mahogany bar, where co-owner Gary Cochran stocks more than ninety varieties of wines. 7 North St. 757-787-7400 or http://www.thecharlottehotel.com.
Artful Eats
Where else on the Shore can you get hand-crafted turquoise jewelry and a BLT? Half café, half art gallery, Bizzotto’s is a longstanding lunch and dinner venue that showcases works by regional craftsmen, from potters to wood turners to photographers. There are even craftworks by owner Miguel Bizzotto himself, whose colorful embossed ostrich and alligator purses adorn the restaurant’s back wall. 41 Market St. 757-787-3103 or http://www.esva.net/~bizzottos.
Culinary Bliss
Proving that rural does not necessarily mean unsophisticated, North Street Market turned our heads and roused our taste buds with its hundreds of upscale edible treats, from Belgian chocolate-dipped Provence oranges to Barefoot Contessa cookie mixes to orange malt whiskey marmalade. Amid the sea of cookbooks and kitchen tools, there are plenty of picnic-ready goodies: cheeses, salamis, and smoked salmon. (There’s even a coffee bar for those in need of an espresso fix.) After browsing the shelves of hard-to-find cooking accouterments, we wondered how we ever survived without a remote-controlled cooking thermometer… 5 North St. 757-787-8805
