Place: Provincetown, Massachusetts
Population: 3,664 year-round, but the number jumps to more than 65,000 in the summer
Best known for: The picturesque town on the tip of Cape Cod started as a fishing village and later became a haven for writers and artists. America’s oldest continuous artist colony, Provincetown is known as a hub of LGBTQ+ culture and a stunning beach destination. In fact, Provincetown’s Race Point Beach is often ranked as one of the most beautiful in the country.
Least known for: Buried treasure could be lurking off the coast of Provincetown. Long ago, pirates ruled the waters off Cape Cod. In recent decades, local divers and explorers have discovered the remnants of their shipwrecks, unearthing an array of artifacts that sunk to the ocean floor when the pirate ships went down.
Why it’s a retail hotspot: Shopping for art in Provincetown is more than an activity – it’s an experience. Combining the picturesque aesthetic of a quaint New England fishing village with the artist population of a major city, Provincetown has numerous art galleries that line Commercial and Bradford Streets against a backdrop of rolling Atlantic waters. Brent Refsland, co-founder of contemporary art and design gallery Room 68, says purchasing art in Provincetown is often an integral part of the vacation experience for folks who visit from across the globe. “We have people that come each season and they have their go-to galleries and artists that are shown there,” he says. “It’s part of their overall vacation to treat themselves to a piece of art.”
Having only really had one chain store, I think there’s a real emphasis on community business, and the town does support that in every way.
—Kerry Filiberto, owner and gallery director, Cortile Gallery
But tourism isn’t the only thing that drives local businesses to succeed in Provincetown. The town also has a stable population that lives in the area year-round. “I think it’s because there’s a very strong sense of community,” says Kerry Filiberto, owner and gallery director of Cortile Gallery, a mainstay of Commercial Street. “It’s supportive of industries. The town itself has always protected the mom-and-pop stores. Having only really had one chain store, I think there’s a real emphasis on community business, and the town does support that in every way.”
In their own words: Cortile Gallery represents more than 30 artists, many of whom are from the Outer Cape. A couple of them work out of a studio right down the street, and customers can arrange to go down to the workspace and speak with them, which Filiberto says makes for “a deeper connection.”
“My industry and my retail shop are steeped in the tradition of Provincetown and its rich history of artists,” she says. “The colors here are very pure – there’s a real sense of beauty that artists have always tried to capture. People come to the town for its charm, its history, its diversity, its acceptance, and its art, in particular.”
But it’s the intimate connection that’s formed with customers that Filiberto favors most.
“What gives me the greatest pleasure is interacting with the customer. It’s about the customer’s experience, explaining to them the art process and the background of the artist. l help them to select a piece of art that they’re going to love for a long time, and try to help them understand and connect with it in the best way. I’m surrounded by beauty every single day.”
