Demolition on the old building that houses the Bright Spot Cafe is scheduled for October.
An old building that has variously served as Sea Isle City’s former post office and at least two family-style restaurants over the years is getting a one-month reprieve before it will be demolished to make room for a new project.
Developers plan to transform what is now the Bright Spot Cafe property at the corner of 40th Street and Landis Avenue into a mixed-use project combining restaurant space on the ground level with six luxury condos topping out the second and third floors.
The development group calls itself "What’s the Catch LLC” and includes Bright Spot Cafe owner Tom Brower as one of the members. They were originally supposed to appear before Sea Isle’s zoning board Wednesday night, but have decided to wait until the Oct. 7 meeting to seek approvals for the project.
Brower explained in an interview Wednesday that they are simply putting the finishing touches on their plans before appearing before the zoning board in October.
“Everything stays the same,” he said of the project.
Originally, the developers were going to demolish the building in September, but now those plans have been pushed back until October, Brower said.
With the building staying around until October, that will give fans of the Bright Spot Cafe another few weeks to eat at the restaurant. Brower said Bright Spot will stay open seven days a week through September.
Bright Spot Cafe is a family-friendly, diner-style restaurant known for its old-school food and ambiance. The restaurant is one of the most recognizable buildings in Sea Isle’s downtown business district because of its bright yellow color scheme.
The building that houses the Bright Spot Cafe dates to the 1930s. It formerly served as the city’s post office decades ago before it became the location of a delicatessen. About 30 years ago, it changed into the Shoobies family-style restaurant featuring doo-wop decor. Then after Shoobies was sold to Brower in 2021, it was transformed into the Bright Spot Cafe.
An architectural rendering depicts the proposed project. (Image from Sea Isle City zoning board documents)The zoning board will consider redevelopment plans for a mixed-use building consisting of a casual cafe with indoor-outdoor seating and three walkup, takeout window-style vendors on the first floor, documents show.
Brower described the proposed cafe as “an old-school, Jersey Shore family-style diner” offering pizza, burgers, cheesesteaks, Mexican food and other affordable favorites.
Although the eateries will be decidedly casual, the six condos proposed on the second and third floors of the development will be upscale, Brower said. They will each include 1,450 square feet of living space, four bedrooms, 2½ baths and ocean views.
Brower said the plan is to open the new eateries in time for Memorial Day weekend 2025. The condos will take about 15 months to complete.
The project will also include the demolition of a tiny bungalow-style house, located on 40th Street behind the Bright Spot Cafe, that is part of the development site, according to zoning board documents.
Brower said he would gladly consider selling the bungalow for a nominal price if someone is willing to assume the responsibility of moving it to another location.
“They’re more than welcome to do that,” he said. “The first five dollars takes it off the property.”
A bungalow-style house on 40th Street behind Bright Spot Cafe is part of the development site.
