Meet the Buyers

“It’s been really fun to expand our horizons, and it makes us happy to see the love for Tommy’s Folly in other areas,” says Rachel Elvgren, who’s been the buyer for Tommy’s Folly Boutique for the past 17 years.

Rachel cut her teeth in the subtle arts of design and procurement at the likes of Bloomingdale’s in Manhattan, where she was an assistant buyer, and Martha Stewart’s The Wedding List store in Boston, where Rachel also managed an interior design store.

But her entrepreneurial spirit was forged long before that. “I’ve had an interest in fashion and accessories from the time I learned how to sew with my mom,” says Rachel. “She taught me how to make scrunchies one summer when we lived at Cape May Point. I started selling my scrunchies to stores in Princeton, New Jersey, which is where we lived after that summer.”

When Rachel started at Congress Hall, the Boutique occupied a “converted coat closet” at the hotel. “We have grown and evolved so much over the years but have tried to remain true to our original vision for the store.”

How would she describe that vision? “I would call it beachy boho with a classic sensibility.” How does that relate to her own style, and is it ever difficult to separate her own tastes from what is on-brand? “I’ve learned over the years to be able to do that and keep some of my personal taste out of the equation. We work hard to make sure we stay true to Tommy’s Folly while keeping it fresh and exciting.”

When it comes to making those buying decisions, Rachel utilizes what is very much a multi-pronged approach.

First of all, there’s the feedback from Cally Zebrowski, who manages the Boutique, along with the hotel store. “Cally is a great resource because she lives in Cape May and knows the customer so well, and she also hears the feedback and requests from guests.” Cally, for her part, is also on hand to offer expert advice. What’s her favorite question from guests? “Is this a dress or a coverup?” And her answer? “More often than not my answer is: either!” says Cally. “Our styles can be worn the way you want to wear them.”

A second part of the buying approach is plugging into certain social media fashion influencers and getting a read into what designers are making - “you want to get a handle on the upcoming trends before placing orders,” says Rachel.

Then there’s the classic method of asking for the opinion on the street from the people who’ll actually be buying the goods from Tommy’s Folly. “I tend to poll my friends for info on new brands they are loving or items they are hoping to see in stock,” says Rachel. “We also love a good instagram poll to see what customers are looking for!”

The final part of the process is the trips to trade shows in New York, Miami and Atlanta, where they can take one last temperature check on the trends before they make the call on what to put on the racks and shelves at Tommy’s Folly (Cally is still holding out hope that they will one day include a Paris show in their itineraries).

So, what can Tommy’s Folly Boutique shoppers expect to be excited about this season? “One of my favorite brands right now is Dream Catcher, which is a new line for us,” says Rachel. “Think formal feminine dresses for Easter or special celebrations. For the beach we love the new Marie Oliver swimwear and it’s flying off the racks, so that is exciting. For cover-ups, Poupette St. Barth has an amazing collection this spring for women and girls.”

Men aren’t forgotten in the mix. “We stick with what works,” says Rachel. “We’ve been carrying elevated casual wear from Johnnie-O for 15 years, and we also offer Peter Millar golf apparel, which has a pretty timeless appeal.”

If you were to sit at a restaurant table opposite Wendy Guiles, she would, before the food arrived, most likely lift up a knife or fork and examine it. If there was an empty side plate, she would probably flip it over to look for telltale signs. You must not take this personally—your dinner companion for the night isn’t bored; she just finds it hard to switch off her design radar.

“Traveling is the biggest inspiration for me,” says Wendy. “I probably embarrass the people I go out to dinner with because I’m always turning things over to see where they’re made.” Why? Because as Vice President of Procurement and Design, it’s her job to ensure that Cape Resorts’ exacting design standards are maintained, from the cutest little Blue Pig plush toy to the elaborate decor for Winter Wonderland, which takes over the hotel every holiday season.

Wendy studied art and illustration and industrial design at Pratt Institute in New York City, but has taken a circuitous journey to her current job, which, she says, is made for her. “I absolutely love my job. It’s all of my passions intertwined. I love the fact that I can be buying teak furniture one day, and the next day I am decorating for Easter.”

Wendy has worked for Cape Resorts for nearly 20 years, starting off in property sales, then moving to take charge of West End Garage, Cape Resorts’ shopping mecca, when it opened in 2009. In 2018, she pivoted to Beach Plum Farm, where she used her design and merchandising skills to take the farm Market and Kitchen to the next level. Then, in 2020, Cape Resorts’ founder Curtis Bashaw created a new position for Wendy, which allowed her skillset to positively impact the whole company. “I feel like creativity has always been at the center of any role I’ve had at Cape Resorts, so I think it was a very organic step to take.”

So how does she keep all of these balls in the air? “It’s a collaboration between Curtis, myself, and the leaders of the departments. Curtis has a vision for everything—from the seemingly most minor things to the big picture—and it’s my job to help ensure that vision is translated into something workable.”

Take, for example, staff uniforms. “Uniforms are a HUGE thing at this company, because you’re creating a specific look for all of these different properties,” she says. “We have very specific ideas about uniforms, and it’s something we will spend a lot of time brainstorming. The look of the uniform is obviously extremely important, but you also have to think about the person who’s wearing the uniform and the duties they’re performing. If they’re working outside in 90-degree temperatures, they can’t be wearing dark, heavy denim!” 

Another huge thing at Cape Resorts is bedding. “We are very, very specific about the sheets we use,” says Wendy. “People talk a lot about thread count, and they’ll say the higher the thread count the better the sheet—but that’s not true. Sometimes a very high thread count can leave the sheets feeling shiny, and that’s not the feel we are going for.” The feel they’re going for is percale cotton, known for its balance of softness, durability and breathability, all of which are crucial for a high quality hotel experience. The percale sheets and pillow cases are a huge hit with guests, which is why they’re available for purchase in the Tommy’s Folly Logo Shop in the History Hallway, along with almost everything else you see in your room (including the bedside lamps!) or at your restaurant table (from plates to salt shakers).

Speaking of restaurant tables, a lot of work goes into ensuring the aesthetic is on point. “I regularly go to tabletop shows—the BDNY show in New York is my favorite. It’s the leading trade show for boutique hotel design. You get a lot of inspiration from attending shows like that.”

But the Cape Resorts way is not simply keeping up with boutique design trends. Sprinkled throughout all of the properties are items of furniture that have been in the company for decades. Call it upcycling. “We don’t throw anything away, which drives the person who runs our warehouse insane,” says Wendy. Take a close look through the pages of Tommy’s Folly, the lavishly illustrated history of Congress Hall, and you’ll pick up a few clues. Those brightly painted chairs in the 1960s picture of the Yankee Clipper Grille (now the Blue Pig Tavern)? You’ll find them in the Rusty Nail today! Still brightly painted, though in different hues.

Color is something you will find in myriad shades at Cape Resorts properties, and that’s down to Colleen Bashaw, owner of Brown Hall Design and the person responsible for the company’s classy-but-quirky design aesthetic.

“I love working with Colleen. Before I met her, I was very cautious with colors,” says Wendy. “But she has transformed how I feel about them. I am much less afraid of color than I used to be. Don’t get me wrong, there are still times when she will come up with a combination that I instinctively think, ‘That’s not going to work’, but it always does! Always. It’s incredible how she uses colors and textures. She’s super tuned in.

So when Wendy is going over ideas for, say, menu covers that involve colors, she will run it past Colleen to ensure there’s consistency with the other design elements in the room, from the wallpaper to the lampshades.

Undoubtedly a huge part of Wendy’s job is decorating the properties for seasonal events. This year, Wendy and her team decorated Congress Hall for a month-long Valentine’s celebration—dubbed the “Month of Love”—for the first time. “It was our first stab at it, but I think it turned out great. Plus, now there’s a plan to go even bigger next year and look at doing something awesome.”

Something awesome is what Winter Wonderland quickly turned into, after its debut in 2011. “We start preparing for that in mid-October,” she says. “We have a daily schedule of work that needs to be done, from October 15 through the first week of December.” This is when Dave Chanudet, Cape Resorts’ longtime gardener, pivots from one type of bulb to another. “Dave does a lot for Winter Wonderland. He helps to hang all of the ornaments and he’s responsible for stringing every lightbulb that goes around the huge Christmas tree.” Also on Dave’s Winter Wonderland punch list? Watering the 240 poinsettia plants that adorn Congress Hall’s Ballroom every holiday season.

Winter Wonderland offers a huge helping of festive fun for thousands of visitors every year. For the Cape Resorts staff, says Wendy, “it’s intense. It’s a lot! But it’s worth it. We take a lot of pride in how the event has evolved over the years.”

Winter Wonderland, maybe more than any other event, reflects the Cape Resorts values… adhering to classic traditions (Christmas), offering timeless treats (the carousel), applying stringent design standards (the peerless decor), and blending in a good portion of playfulness (servers dressed as elves and nutcrackers).

“I feel like there’s a very strong, purposeful direction at this company,” says Wendy, “and I think that’s really important. There’s this classic, elegant quality, but with a quirkiness. And more than anything, it just feels authentic.”