Dennis

Nearly two years after voters approved a visionary rezoning of Dennisport, redevelopment of the aging village along Route 28 is beginning one property a time. Planning efforts have won two awards, several properties have changed hands and major development proposals are starting to emerge.

Fortune smiled on Charlie Chamberlain long before he developed Patriot Square, one of the most successful shopping centers on the Cape. During his service in Korea, he woke one night to the sound of a fellow soldier screaming because spiders had bitten his eyelids. “He spent six months in the hospital,” Chamberlain said, shrugging as he added, “They don’t bite me.”

Like all Cape towns, Dennis has seen quite a bit of growth over the last several decades, with residential development accompanied by an increasing number of businesses that take care of the myriad needs and desires of the growing number of full- and part-time residents. Some of the businesses in town, however, predate the boom, and have managed to survive and grow in the face of change. We talked to the proprietors of several long-time businesses that have become veritable institutions.