"What are the shopping hours for the Washington Street Mall?"

Now, here’s the thing: all of the shops in Cape May are independently owned and operated and, as such, open and close at their discretion.

Shopping in Cape May is basically concentrated on the Washington Street Mall, the Washington Commons, and Carpenter’s Square Mall (located behind the Washington Street Mall on Carpenter’s Lane), the beachfront and West Cape May, primarily where W. Perry Street meets Park Blvd.

Please don’t be confused by the term "mall." The term is used as in the second definition of the word: "an urban street lined with shops and closed off to motor vehicles."

Carpenter’s Square Mall and City Centre Mall (located in the 400 block of Washington Street) are enclosed malls comprised of somewhere between 10 and 20 small boutique-type shops.

Cape May’s historic Congress Hall Hotel also offers guests, as well as visitors, a selection of independently owned retail stores as well.

Visitors will also find some very unique shops at the top end of Jackson Street and on Washington Street near City Hall and the post office.

Aside from the CVS in West Cape May, the only chain stores we have are Blockbuster, convenience markets (Wawa) and a grocery store (Acme).

As far as hours go – during the summer months of mid-June to Labor Day, most stores are open 10 a.m. to 10 p.m., seven days a week. After Labor Day and right up to Victorian Week, October 8 through October 17, most of the shops are open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. with longer hours on Friday and Saturday. Some stores, particularly those on the Washington Street Mall, remain open at night; however, after Oct. 20^th most close at 5 or 6 pm, and many then only open on weekends.