With all the new businesses opening in both Highlands and Atlantic Highlands, all of which are wonderful, let’s not forget to shop in some of the favorites that have been here awhile. Coffee
My latest visit that really made me happy this week was stopping at 1st Cup on First Avenue in Atlantic Highlands. Not only do they have all the coffee you might want, and lots of interesting teas to try as well, but both Karen and Bob Hespe are also even more than just a great coffee shop for local residents.
Karen’s creative and artistic talents are particularly adorable this time of year when she has taken marbles and stones, to say nothing of seashells and created some very delightful ornaments and attractive gift ideas, You can even check them out in the front window passing by, and notice the clever tree on which they’re hung, simply branches of a tree. The ornaments are even inexpensive enough to us as great decorations on gift packages. There are also handmade soaps there, and some jewelry, but it’s the artistry that will really impress you.
And Bob’s ad for 1st Cup on the back page of every issue of the bulletin at St. Agnes and Our Lady of Perpetual Help Churches invites all to stop in for a coffee after mass.
Speaking of St. Agnes, the Mexican population around the world has a particular attraction to Our Lady of Guadalupe and Juan Diego the poor man of Aztec descent to whom she appeared several hundred years ago and left him with his tilma filled with roses in winter. Her Feast is today, Thursday, December 12, and Father Thomas and the Spanish community invite all to a Spanish Mass at St. Agnes at 7 p.m. that sounds like it will hold all the joy in addition to prayer that is so important to so many on this day. Wonderful to see so many young people at the Spanish mass every Sunday evening at 5 as well.
Besides the Highlands Café opening in a few weeks where the Girls Café has made its mark on Bay Avenue at Washington, look for Katz’s to be transformed in the very near future with a duplicate of that terrific bagel shop that continues to get raves in Campbell’s Junction in Middletown.
And if you’re hearing bells at 8 a.m., noon and 6 p.m. Highlands, it’s because Our Lady of Perpetual Help Church is getting its bells restored and speakers installed so that the bells that got every youngster in town home at appointed times 20 years ago and more will be ringing again! What a joyous sound and reminder for prayer.
