By MADDY VITALE
People lounged on beach chairs and sat at the water’s edge. Some tossed footballs. Others strolled along the Boardwalk on a warm, sunny Saturday.
And other than wearing face masks or doing their best to social distance in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, it seemed just like any other busy end-of-May day for visitors in Ocean City.
But, as in all other communities across the state, most retail shops in Ocean City are still closed as summer season unfolds in stages during the pandemic, per Gov. Phil Murphy’s shutdown order.
There are many signs of life, though. Hotels can book reservations now and the city’s Tourism Commission is joining with the Board of Realtors to promote the resort together. The idea is to not only entice guests to come back, but also to showcase what the real estate agencies have to offer in terms of rentals. The promotional campaign kicks off with a new commercial June 1.
Betsey and Brian Skitsko, of Richboro, Pa., came down for the weekend to visit Betsey’s mother, Nancy Corrigan, who lives in Ocean City and is also an employee of a downtown shop.
The Skitskos and their sons, Connor, 3, and Carson, 1, and Corrigan relaxed on beach towels at the 10th Street beach.
“We saw people with face masks but sitting here, it doesn’t feel that much different than last summer,” Betsey said.
Brian said although it is a shame many of the Boardwalk shops were closed, he and his family were still enjoying their getaway to Ocean City.
“I feel worse for them,” he said of the store owners.
Corrigan said she is anxious to get back to work as a sales associate at Ta-Dah.
“We have been closed since March,” she said. “I wonder about the restaurants. You just can’t make as much with takeout.”
Business for the Boardwalk merchants and the downtown store owners has slowed dramatically due to the governor’s orders on essential versus non-essential businesses. Restaurants are limited to takeout, curbside pickup or delivery orders. Most retail shops are restricted to pickup orders or online shopping
Video courtesy of the Ocean City Regional Chamber of Commerce:
“The Chamber could not be happier to see hotels taking reservations, people up on the Boardwalk and retailers able to do curbside pickup. It looks like we are in full mode,” said Michele Gillian, executive director of the Ocean City Regional Chamber of Commerce.
However, she emphasized, since the governor continues to keep small businesses from opening their doors unless there are essential items in the store, the mom-and-pop shops that fill the Boardwalk and line the downtown are feeling the pinch during a time that they are normally making money.
“We have done everything the governor has asked and it is really a shame that the big box stores are open, bathhouses are open, golf courses are open and daycare centers are opening and we are still not on the radar,” Gillian said of the small shops not being able to reopen.
While curbside pickup helps the retailers and restaurants, it is minimal in returns, she explained.
“Curbside is nice, but it does not generate a lot of business unfortunately for the small businesses,” Gillian said.
Burton Wilkins, who serves as chairman of the city’s Tourism Commission and is also the owner of Goldcoast Sotheby’s International Realty in Ocean City, said the commission went to the Ocean City Board of Realtors with a plan to help both the merchants and the realtors.
“We reached out to the Board of Realtors to see if they could supplement the tourism promotion and they agreed to. The whole idea is to get as many promotions out there for vacations as possible, while tying in the idea of also driving people to weekly rentals,” Wilkins said. “We are trying to encourage people to come down and to stay in the short-term rentals.”
