Back to school shopping on Martha’s Vineyard

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A late summer's day on Main Street in Vineyard Haven. — File photo by Ralph Stewart

Summer breezes are still blowing, but school bells have rung. For parents, this most likely means time to restock school supplies and clothes.

For a full selection of paper, binders, and writing supplies, daRosa’s near the end of Circuit Avenue in Oak Bluffs or EduComp at the corner of Main Street and State Road in Vineyard Haven should be your stops. Keep it fun for your kids by finding some unique pens and pencils.

If it’s time to update your home computer, or it’s just time to get your child their own, both stores offer a selection of towers and laptops to choose from. daRosa’s carries HP and Acer while EduComp offers HP, Sony, and Apple. Both stores can also help you to upgrade your current computer to make it faster and more user friendly.

Other great computer stores are MV Mac Sales and MV Tech Inc., both on State Road in Vineyard Haven, along with Martha’s Vineyard Computer Lab on Airport Road in West Tisbury. They also have all the wiring, Ethernet cards, and memory sticks your college student might need. For paper and writing supplies, many of our local hardware, grocery, and pharmacy stores also carry a selection for you to choose from as well.

Clothing and shoes in one stop for all ages is also not a problem with such year-round Island staples as Brickman’s and The Green Room on Main Street in Vineyard Haven, as well as Basics on Circuit Avenue in Oak Bluffs. At any of these stores you will find clothing that covers the head to toe and layers from underwear to outdoor clothing with accessories.

If you are looking for some true basics, pants, tee-shirts and sweatshirts at a low-low price Trader Fred’s in Edgartown at the Triangle and on Circuit Avenue in Oak Bluffs might be worth a stop. The stock is always changing, so several trips could be in order, but when items are in they are priced right, and that includes footwear.

You may also want to keep your eyes out for sales at many of our seasonal and year-round stores: many items have been reduced in price after our summer season has drawn to a close. This Saturday is Tivoli Day, a great place to find bargains along Circuit Avenue in Oak Bluffs.

For the youngest of children getting ready for their first year of nursery school or kindergarten, a visit might be in order to Bibi’s Baby & Kids, Mix, or Rainy Day, which carries the Hately line. All three are located in Vineyard Haven.

Keep in mind back to school includes college students and for the freshman it can mean some homesickness is taking place. Put them at ease with a care package brimming with Island favorites. Whether it is a sweatshirt from the Black Dog, a Sharky’s Lime Disease tee-shirt or a box of Murdick’s Fudge, anything relating to home will be welcome. So head out to our local stores to gather your child’s Island favorites to remind them that home is not so far away.

I would love to hear where your favorite back to school Island shopping places or things are in the comment section below.

Noteworthy:

Martha’s Vineyard Fashion Week starts soon. Tonight, from 8 to 10 pm, Slip 77 is hosting a Locals Only Designer Showcase in their store at 28 Lake Ave. in Oak Bluffs.

According to owner Christina Izzo, the “Locals Only is an event to showcase local artists and designers in a trunk-show like fashion. The event is meant to highlight the local talent here on the Vineyard in a casual, relaxing environment, allowing customers to also meet some of the designers themselves and view a wide variety of their products for sale.”

For more information, contact the store at 508-687-9975.