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Massachusetts
Travel >>> Mashpee Commons, Mashpee
MA   Mashpee Commons, Mashpee, Mass. Article and photos by Eric H.
Mashpee Commons in Mashpee, Mass., solves the problem with its appealing mixed use downtown district that features about 80 percent local shops and 20 percent national chain stores. That's a refreshing chance of pace of the average shopping mall that houses around 90 percent national chains. Add intersecting streets with parrallel parking and well integrated apartment rentals and you have a downtown district that looks traditional but with a touch of sleek 21st century ingenuity. Mashpee Commons will remind you of some New England traditional downtowns -- a little bit of Falmouth, a touch of Hyannis and a sampling of, perhaps, Melrose, Mass., East Greenwich, R.I., and Nashua, N.H. The difference is that its birth dates back to the late 1980s rather than one or two centuries ago. While this newly-manufactured district might turn some off due to its corporate-inspired visions, keep this in mind: all downtowns had to start from somewhere and it was the businesspeople that fueled the growth. That is no different than Mashpee Commons' creation -- and that many local residents are employed here. It's really the best of both worlds: a destination with a respect to the past and with an eye on the future as growth continues. And it sure beats what was here before: a strip of open land and a strip mall. As a result, Mashpee Commons has quickly become a Cape Cod destinations, but, most importantly, a place Mashpee residents can proudly call their own downtown. You'll see stores, entertainment facilities and restaurants that once made so many downtown districts handy, fun and diverse. Mashpee Common stores include those that sell clothing, books, toys, gifts, sporting goods, flowers, art work, jewelry and pet supplies. You'll also find several restaurants here, as well as dessert places offering ice cream, frozen yogurt and candies. To fully round out the downtown area, Mashpee Commons also has a movie theater, bowling alley, a church and plenty of community events. You'll see some well known local businesses like the Black Dog General Store, Puritan Cape Cod clothing and Bobby Byrne's Restaurant, but also a slew of worthy lesser known shops and restaurants. Mashpee Commons really feels more like a neighborhood than a Hollywood set version of a shopping center that so often prospers in a given community but without offering any true, cohesive connection to the existing town or city. Mashpee Commons brilliantly avoids that superficial trapping. Here, at last, is a place to connect with the locals, take a nice summer stroll after a nice meal, do all your Christmas shopping in one place, and hit the movies or go bowling for fun times. You know, the way downtowns used to be. Mashpee Commons is located at 22 Steeple St, Mashpee, MA. Tel. (508) 477-5400 
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