Our family moved to Cape May in 1976 from Pennsylvania. My family was my mother, Barbara Snedaker, my step-father Otto Jensch, and my two sisters Michelle and Alisha Snedaker. We moved into 41 Jackson Street.
I distinctly remember coming in the house one day where I found my mother sitting at the large round electrical spool she found somewhere, somehow dragged into the house and turned it into our living room table. The table was full of papers and notes and when I asked her what she was doing, she said,“ I’ m starting a newspaper.”
My mom & Otto came up with the name Shoppe, an homage to the old English word for“ shop” or shopping since the paper was going to be an open marketplace for people to post their yard sales, sell their cars, and for local business owners to drive people in their front doors. She hired her friend Kurt to design their logo, Mr. Shoppe, which was a caricature of Otto wearing an old fashioned printer’ s apron.
In 1979, we moved to a house on Washington Street where the front of the house was turned into a makeshift front office and we all lived in the back. A white wood sign with the name Shoppe and the image of“ Mr. Shoppe” was proudly hung outside and Shoppe was born.
Over the course of the past 46 years, Shoppe was the center of all of our lives. It was born in my mother’ s creative and brilliant mind, but it lived and thrived through all of our collective efforts. Each of us worked at the paper in some form or fashion, taking classifieds, selling advertising, helping to put together each issue, page by page, week after week. For myself and Alisha, our work at the paper ended when we went away to college and when my sister Michelle became a mom. Even Michelle’ s son Alex delivered papers with Otto at one point as a teenager.
My mom and Otto were well known in the local community. They made it a part of their successful business practice to have personal relationships and to be patrons of the businesses that advertised loyally. Going out to dinner was a big event in our lives. Mom & Otto enjoyed good food and were very generous and kind to restaurant staff. I remember walking into many restaurants and seeing waitresses and waiters jockeying to serve us. For our small town, we felt like celebrities.
Life and the paper thrived for many wonderful years. We lived a“ salt life” at the beach, enjoying everything south Jersey life gives, and cranking out issues week after week.
That all came to a sudden end when my mom Barbara passed away in 1997. Within our deepest heartbreak, we couldn’ t imagine Shoppe existing without her presence. It was her vision and passion. But Otto took the helm and kept Shoppe going, eventually with the help of his second wife, Gerry Jensch.
Otto & Gerry moved to Florida and kept Shoppe going, while enjoying their new life together in Florida.
Sadly Otto passed away in June this year. After much reservation, the family has decided that- just as the passage of time has taken our beloved Barbara and Otto- the time seems right to allow Shoppe’ s era to come to its final issue, which you hold in your hands today.
On behalf of the entire Snedaker and Jensch families, we send our deepest and heartfelt appreciation to all the hardworking, dedicated Shoppe team members who worked with us over the years to create and publish each issue. Each one was a labor of love. When each issue was ready for printing, Mom or Otto would exclaim,“ Box‘ em up!” We would put the pages in a box and take them to the printer. Then watch how the community- all of you- would clamor for the new issue each Thursday morning.
To all the loyal advertisers, thank you for supporting my mom and Otto’ s dream all these many years. We will always remember you and your families and your wonderful businesses that we enjoyed shopping at and eating in.
And to all of the wonderful local people who came into the offices to post your yard sales and your local events and your cars for sale- we loved meeting and interacting with you the last 46 years. You make south Jersey one of the best places on earth!
And to my Mom & Otto- your legacy was brilliant and inspiring to each of us! And now, for one last time,“ Box‘ em up!” In loving memory forever to Barbara Snedaker( Jensch) and Otto Jensch.
Story by Kim Snedaker With memories lived and shared by Alisha Snedaker( Owens) Michelle Snedaker Alex Pomykacz Geraldine Jensch
A Family’ s Goodbye
Page 2- SHOPPE-July 10, 2025 through July 16, 2025-