By Sarah Fertsch
Staff Writer
I’m one of many millennials obsessed with TikTok, and recently I’ve stumbled upon a new aesthetic: Coastal Grandmother. Like bohemian hippies or preppy academics, coastal grandmothers have their own style, music, hobbies, recipes and interests.
Coastal grandmothers (who don’t have to be female or elderly) wear white, pressed button-downs and cardigans. They drink chardonnay, steam clams with lemon and garlic, and listen to Nat King Cole or the Beatles. These classy folks fill their homes with sea shells, nautical decor, and linen furniture. They love long walks on the beach, hosting dinner parties and wearing wide-brim hats.
As I gravitate toward this trend, I realize why this lifestyle feels so familiar. My Mom-Mom was a coastal grandmother! My paternal grandmother Dolores lived in the Gardens section of Ocean City in a little cottage with a small yard. She loved taking my sister and I shopping on Asbury Avenue, peeking inside Kay’s Doll Shoppe, biting into a cookie at Ward’s Pastry, and browsing the racks at B & B. She was known for her delicious homemade pasta and love of good wine. She wore long beaded necklaces with a cashmere sweater, loose khakis and chunky sandals.
Dolores passed away almost ten years ago from pancreatic cancer, and everytime I drive through the North End of Ocean City, I think of her. If she had lived longer, I imagine that she would watch my siblings and I grow into adults with a smile on her face. We’d play piano in her sun room, collect clamshells along the tide, and celebrate Christmas with her large extended Italian family in Philadelphia.
The coastal grandmother style reflects the unique glory of our hometowns. For generations, South Jersey locals have incorporated shells in everyday designs, walked the boardwalk in button-downs and flowy dresses, and browsed local seafood markets in search for the juiciest lobster. Coastal grandmothers are just people from Ocean City or Cape May, engaging in local traditions and activities.
It’s amazing that a national trend originates from our humble home. The next time you go sailing, enjoy a meal on the bay, shop on Asbury Avenue or the Washington Square Mall, consider yourself a coastal grandmother, or more accurately, a Shore Local.
Happy Mother’s Day to every mom who puts their children first and holds households together. I would like to dedicate this column to Dolores Fertsch and her memory. Thank you Mom Mom for always being fabulous, friendly and making the best Italian food. You are truly a coastal grandmother.
