MIAMI — Retailers along the Gulf and Florida Keys have been playing contestants on their own rendition of “Survivor.”
They’ve faced a series of challenges — from the economy and its foreclosure fallout to hurricane season to the oil spill, and, for a dash of exotic drama, dengue fever. Despite all these troubles, many report the media’s demand for nonstop news — flimsily supported by experts’ incorrect projections, whether a storm’s or the oil’s path — has exacerbated their situation beyond the actual events.
Not even a visit by President Obama, the First Lady and their daughter Sasha to the Gulf seemed to stem the negative news.
Related Articles
You May Also Like
“The second a storm starts off the coast of Africa, a reporter in foul weather gear sets up in front of my store on Duval Street, as tourists stroll by in the sunshine,” said Tony Falcone, owner of Fast Buck Freddie’s, a specialty department store in Key West, estimating it takes at least 10 days for business as usual to return after a storm evacuation.
According to Andy Newman, director of media relations for the Florida Keys and the Key West tourism council, fuzzy weather predictions immediately affect the archipelago, such as when Tropical Depression Bonnie resulted in a 10 percent decrease in hotel occupancy at the start of a promising July weekend, though it never made landfall there. The controversy over the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention’s report regarding the number of people carrying dengue fever versus the number of full-blown cases based on data gathered by the Monroe County Health Department, and the oil scare from the Gulf prompted the council to add Web site sections that closely monitor each issue for concerned tourists.
The factors have altered demographics, according to Falcone. He reports Floridians looking for last-minute deals, whose spending habits don’t match his merchandise, have replaced his typical European customers, who book longer summer holidays.
“Our best customers are those who stay more than a weekend,” said Falcone.
David Symons, co-owner of Blue, a specialty chain of contemporary women’s boutiques in Key West, Islamorada and Fort Lauderdale, said August’s Key West Lobsterfest was packed, but its drive-down crowd wasn’t his shopper. Though other retailers and galleries around him struggle, he doesn’t plan to file claims with BP. Sales at his Islamorada location were even up from last year, possibly linked to the reopening of the nearby upscale Cheeca Lodge. But of everything on his plate, the economy still worries him most.
“In 2009 my seriously wealthy women weren’t spending. They let loose a little this year, but fear and perception could make them nervous again,” he said.
Jim Dettle, co-owner of Today’s Boutique in Destin, Fla., said perception, such as the news showing an oil-soaked pelican in Louisiana and then flashing to a beach on the Florida Panhandle, is exactly what threw his business off track. After experiencing his best April in three years, sales plummeted from a 25 percent increase to a 7 percent loss in June.
“The oil never washed ashore here. A bit went east. But it’s hard for the public to sort it out. They think seaweed is a tar ball,” he said.
Regional residents came once word got out about pristine beaches, but Dettle’s clientele that buys brands like Barbara Lesser, Paige and Velvet, aside from some second-home owners checking on their beachfront properties, stayed away. He made up for lost traffic by sending boxes to out-of-town regulars, hiring a social-media consultant and starting his summer sale early.
“We offered margaritas and markdowns,” he said.
Normally attending AmericasMart in Atlanta, Dettle skipped June market and asks vendors about the possibility of canceling orders up front.
Celia Roberts, co-owner of Willow, a contemporary women’s boutique in Rosemary Beach, Fla., and Willow + Woods, an offshoot for men and women that unfortunately opened in June, in Seaside, Fla., said vendors have been very sympathetic to Gulf retailers about cancellations and perks like free shipping. She also has increased the stores’ online presence with daily blog posts and Facebook and Twitter updates.
“People say they’re coming, but all our friends have canceled, and the discount renters have already used up their funds on housing,” said Roberts, wondering where’s the star-studded outpouring that Haiti received. “There has been some effort from musicians like Jimmy Buffett, and from Walton County like its Rosemary Beach Uncorked event coming this October, but I wish someone would stage something really big here to show it’s OK.”
Her accountant, Amy Coleman with McDaniel & Associates in Santa Rosa Beach, Fla., has witnessed layoffs and business closings as a direct result from the oil spill.
“Some are down 30 to 40 percent from 2009’s recession comps, and this was supposed to be a comeback year,” she said, bracing for a second wave of shutterings during winter, the off-season.
Celebrating his store’s 30th anniversary in 2011, Dettle has seen the season stretch and hopes to finish strong with a Labor Day boost.
“I wish the media would have as much coverage about how the oil crisis has passed, but how quickly they forget,” he said.