By Donald Wittkowski
Dawn Perre, who has lived in Sea Isle City for five years, insists she goes to the Springfield Inn every day. Not every other day, or every week, but every single day.
Dan “Woody” Woodruff, who lives in Joppa, Maryland, and spends his summer vacations in Sea Isle, has been stopping in at the Springfield for nearly 40 years. He says he still remembers the first time he had drinks at the Springfield in 1980.
Such loyal devotion to the Springfield by Perre, Woodruff and legions of other customers over the years shows why the no-frills seashore bar has stayed in business for so long. It opened in 1972 under the ownership of the Bisciotti family.
But as the summer of 2018 is about to draw to a close with the Labor Day weekend, questions remain whether this will be the Springfield’s last hurrah or whether it will remain part of Sea Isle’s lively bar scene for at least one more year.
The Springfield is under contract to be sold to an undisclosed buyer who plans to redevelop the beachfront site into a three-story complex featuring a restaurant, outdoor beach bar, retail space and 13 upscale condominiums. The sale was first reported by SeaIsleNews.com in May.
Dustin Laricks, a Sea Isle real estate broker handling the sale, said the prospective buyer is going through an extensive “due diligence” process before deciding whether to finalize the deal.
“The pending sale is still alive,” Laricks said.
Although it first appeared that the would-be buyer planned to demolish the Springfield after the summer season, Laricks said the old bar may survive for yet another year. He believes it will take about a year for the buyer to line up the permits needed for the redevelopment plan. Under that scenario, the Springfield would return for the summer of 2019.
“Is this going to be the last summer for the Springfield? I can’t say that,” Laricks said. “My suspicion is that it will be the same Springfield Inn next season.”
The Springfield has been on the market for $6.7 million. It is owned by sisters Betsy Cooney, Terry Eidenberg and Joanne Bisciotti, who followed their parents, Joe and Liz Bisciotti, in the bar business.
Although Sea Isle is known for its collection of nightclubs, the Springfield is the only bar in town overlooking the beach. In its current iteration, the Springfield includes a shabby chic nightclub and the outdoor Carousel Bar, a casual watering hole adjacent to the city’s oceanfront Promenade walkway.
Its prime location at the corner of 43rd Street and Pleasure Avenue makes it a strong candidate for redevelopment.
Architectural renderings give a glimpse of the proposed development project. They depict a restaurant on the ground level as well as an outdoor beachfront bar. The top two floors would be occupied by condos featuring their own terraces.
Hardly surprising, the Springfield’s potential makeover has caused angst among some of its most loyal customers, including Perre and Woodruff.
“I think it sucks,” Woodruff said with a scowl.
Woodruff, who was joined Sunday afternoon by his brother-in-law, Gus Klee, and his friend, Woodrow Schnieder, said the Springfield has been his go-to place for so many years because of its outdoor bar and “the good-looking women.”
“We usually come here right off the beach,” said Woodruff, who was drinking a beer and wearing a straw hat.
The Springfield’s regulars are attracted by the bar’s casual, beach-party vibe. On Sunday, most of the patrons were dressed in flip-flops or sandals, shorts and T-shirts.
Perre and three friends headed to the Springfield in their bathing suits, after spending time on the beach. They made it clear they want the Springfield to remain exactly the same as it is now.
“Every day, I come here. Every day for the five years I’ve been living here,” Perre said. “I don’t want it to be upscale. If we wanted upscale, we would go to Avalon or Stone Harbor.”
Perre, her sister-in-law, Karla Esposito, her cousin, Brianna Morris, and her friend, Lisa Lyons, were sipping drinks Sunday afternoon at the Carousel Bar.
“I feel like I’m on an island with the sand. You feel like you’re on vacation,” Perre said of the bar’s beach theme.
Esposito agreed with Perre. She said customers are attracted to the Springfield by its laid-back atmosphere.
“It’s got a casual beach feel,” Esposito said. “You can come here with flip-flops on or no shoes if you want to.”
After sharing a few drinks, Perre, Esposito, Morris and Lyons left the bar to go back on the beach. But they promised to return to the Springfield later on.
“If you’re here in an hour, we’ll be back,” Esposito said.
The question is, will the Springfield Inn be back, or is this summer truly its last call?
