Last weekend, the Sea Isle City Chamber of Commerce and Revitalization hosted “Girls Weekend,” an event that featured retail bargains, food and drink specials, free wine tastings, beauty treatments and workouts.
The ladies enjoyed a wide variety of options with over 40 businesses in town participating. The weekend was all about enjoying shopping, dancing, socializing and spending time with girlfriends.
Let's face it, the last few weeks have been pretty quiet in Sea Isle. The weather started getting cold and less people were around.
That all changed this weekend and the town was jumping.
Saturday morning started off with a Pajama Party at Kix McNutleys. The participation was so overwhelming that owner Len Desiderio said "From now on, this will be our signature event for Girls Weekend. It was so much fun to have that many turn-out in their PJs, at that hour, enjoying themselves. They were line dancing and having a great time."
Coffee drinks and smiles were abundant.
"Groovy Girlz set-up a pop-up store right in Kix and the buying frenzy started right here."
The fun did not end there. All of the merchants that participated in the weekend are reporting increased sales activity which is welcomed at the beginning of the holiday season.
Colleen Buch, owner of Groovy Girlz said that they were busy all weekend. She reminisced about when Girls Weekend first started. "The owner of Heritage and I split the cost of the first event. It was $64.00. We bought balloons, placed them out front and promoted it on Facebook. We have come a long way."
Mike Monichetti, owner of Mike’s Seafood and Dock Restaurant, said “Girls Weekend was a great boost for Sea Isle’s business community. Mike’s definitely saw a big increase in business. We sold a lot of gift certificates to people looking for Christmas presents. For mid-November, the island was hopping!”
Sea Isle News caught-up with Kylie, Brook B, and Patti Williamson out shopping on Landis Avenue. They raved about their purchases at Sisters Sweet Shoppe and the bargains that got at Groovy Girlz. Their weekend even included seeing a theatrical production in neighboring Ocean City.
Everywhere we went there seemed to be smiling faces and a sense of sisterhood.
Girls Weekend has become so popular that word has even spread overseas. There was a charming group in from Northern Ireland. They are visiting Philadelphia for two weeks and heard about Girls Weekend. Their cousin has a place in town and let them use it for the weekend. So, they decided to come down and check it out. They were not disappointed.
Pictured are Sean and Jackie Rocks from Glenside, PA; Marie Rocks from Philadelphia, PA; and their guests Martin and Christine Donaghey and their daughter Arlene who are visiting from Northern Ireland.
Each year this weekend seems to grow more popular with the public and fulfilling for the merchants who participate. That is a sign of a job well done by all involved.
