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Barefoot Trader, Rt. 28, West Yarmouth
Remember the Barefoot Trader? I remember it well from when I was a youngster. They had the big “Easter Island” head out front with the torch lit on top. There are now factory outlets where the Barefoot Trader’s torch once burned at the edge of the cranberry bogs.
Seeing is believing! But when you step into the Polynesian Paradise you won’t believe your eyes. You’ll find a treasure of gifts, food delicacies and sportswear that have been collected from the wide, wide world all set in exotic design.
The store is sectionalized according to the country of origin of the merchandise, From Norway, Sweden and Denmark come striking examples of modern Scandinavian. The continental flavor of Belgium, Holland, France and Germany is found in the gift selections from Europe. Who can resist the incomparable results of British industry or the artistry from the shores of the sun-drenched Mediterranean? South America, South Sea Isles, Oriental art, the United States.
Outside the building is a playground with swings and acrobatic accoutrements to keep youngsters occupied while parents explore the store. Children, however are invited inside. Inside the Polynesian theme is carried out. Palm trees and fronds adorn the walls, while fixtures reinforce the South Seas decor. Self-service is invited—or if you wish service, you need only to call on any of the clerks who answer all questions. Be sure and don’t leave the Cape until you have visited the Barefoot Trader.
see also: old Barefoot Trader ad
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Categories: Gone, Places, Retro, Yarmouth
Keywords: retro, gone, Yarmouth, Barefoot Trader
Comments:
You are right there were footprints in the cement that led to the door of the BFT. see this post for more info.
I remembe this place. I would go here back in the 1960’s into the 70’s (I think)...vacationed on the cape every summer. Loved this nick-nack shop….and really miss Mobey Dick’s…nice seeing this old picture.
Posted by Judy from Mass on 08/23/09 at 06:39 PM | #
THE BAREFOOT TRADER MAKES ME THINK OF A BETTER PLACE IN TIME, A TIME I WOULD LIKE TO GO BACK TO.
Posted by DAVID BIONDI from CONN. AND FLORIDA on 12/11/09 at 09:55 PM | #
To go back in time, especially on Cape Cod, would be a fun thing to do I agree!!
A lot has changed there, but memories keep being made yearly. That’s a blessing.
Posted by Judy from Mass on 12/13/09 at 12:34 AM | #
My family would vacation on Cape Cod throughout the ‘60’s and early ‘70’s. I was always thrilled when Dad would stop at Barefoot Trader, the Treasure Chest and Moby Dick’s… all three places had similar gifts and souvenirs and toys… but the visit wasn’t complete until we had stopped at all three! I remember buying toy rubber snakes, a can of Cape Cod air, the little glass bird that kept bobbing its head in a glass of water…! It would be so cool to travel back in time; yet we have the great memories to share!
Posted by Jay Blundon from Memphis on 02/01/10 at 05:44 AM | #
Oh yes, I remember “The Treasure Chest” too..And we used to get the “Rubber Snakes” as well. Then go to Great Island Pharmacy and buy the baseball cards with the stick of Bazooka Bubble Gum (The pharmacy is no longer there either)...Moby Dicks is now a tee shirt outlet…But Seagull Beach is still there, as is the Parker River….The drive in has been gone for years (as most drive-ins are extinct now)...I could go on with the memories of Cape Cod….Especially West Yarmouth and Hyannis.
Posted by Judy from Boston on 02/01/10 at 08:32 PM | #
i was telling my daughter how the barefoot trader stuck out in my mind from childhood, and was wondering…is this place still open? would love to go back and visit if it is. many happy memories as a little girl. my dad would take me there.
Posted by angie williams from southbridge, mass on 04/06/10 at 04:04 AM | #
Hard to believe we had three gift shops with the same tacky souvenirs but they weren’t called Wings! Why did we love them so much? Did anyone also visit the Colonial COuntry Store in S. Yarmouth, across from the Pancake Man? Pancake Man is still there but the Colonial Country Store is now all one big jewelry store. I loved the crapola you could get at those places that didn’t feel as mass marketed as the stuff in Wings. can you tell I resent Wings?
Posted by sparkling74 from yarmouth on 07/25/10 at 09:02 PM | #
Yes, the Barefoot Trader was a highlight of my one childhood visit to Cape Cod. We stayed at the Christmas Tree Inn, a motel that had colored Christmas lights in summer. Does anyone remember it, where it was?
Posted by Sarah from Boston on 09/13/10 at 09:50 PM | #
So nice to see that others same share the same fond memories of places on Cape Cod. It’s a shame really that it’s so “Built Up” now….the last of the Windmills that I used to go to are gone. That windmill was right behind what USED to be Moby Dicks and the Christmas Tree Plaza in West Yarmouth. A Hotel took it’s place. Like the Cape needed another hotel…lol
Posted by Judy from Boston on 09/14/10 at 08:48 PM | #
Oh yes…Moby Dick and Barefoot Trader!!! Beautiful, wonderful memories! Of family no more. If anybody has any post cards of these places, will buy, please write
srmcnamara52 at gmail.com
Thanks.
Posted by Carolyn DeVries from Worcester, MA on 02/28/11 at 11:17 PM | #
Thanks for posting all this great information. My brother and I were reminiscing about our childhood experiences on the Cape and were discussing both The Barefoot Trader and Moby Dick’s. We are inspired to go and visit Moby Dick in his new digs at Putter’s Paradise mini golf course. We are also going to stop by Hathaway’s Pond where we used to take our Saturday night baths in our bathing suits and ivory soap that wouldn’t float away. Ah, nostalgia!
Posted by Mal from Hollis, NH on 08/05/11 at 07:53 PM | #
As a very young boy, I remember my parents taking me to the yet-to-open Barefoot Trader where we watched this guy with rolled up jeans walk from the parking lot to the front door in bare feet through wet cement. We talked about that day for years; as the Barefoot Trader changed hands, I always stopped to see if the foot prints were still there. Great memories.
Posted by Ken Goss from Washington, DC on 09/01/14 at 12:01 AM | #
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My parents took me to Cape Cod in 1958, when I was two years old. I have a vague recollection of going to a place where the sidewalk had the impression of bare feet in the cement. Could it have been the Barefoot Trader?