As the height of the summer season comes to an end, the streets of Vineyard Haven were bustling with shoppers on Labor Day weekend. And the Steamship Authority ports were busy with seasonal residents and visitors headed home.
For many local businesses on Saturday, the weekend was a final surge in sales when prices dropped; but it’s also a challenge for some, as many seasonal employees go back to school.
“We try to bring the same energy to Labor Day that we do to Memorial Day, because we are a store that’s open year-round,” said Jane Chandler, owner of the Beach House on 30 Main St. in Vineyard Haven.
“There’s a big exhale for Labor Day, but we want to make people feel like the store is fully stocked and fresh every day, even if you’re on vacation in September,” Chandler said.
Meanwhile, Mocha Mott’s on Main St. in Vineyard Haven geared up for the holiday surge by brewing extra iced coffee and baking additional pastries. “Our boss was also stressed about staffing at the start of the summer, but then we got enough people for a while. At the end of summer, everyone goes back to college, and staffing gets a little stressful again,” said Tess Walsch, Mocha Mott’s employee.
Retailers such as Coastal Supply, located on 65 Main St., try to find creative solutions to prepare and manage the seasonal shifts. “It was so busy this summer; especially in July we had flows of people stopping here before and after the ferry, which was so nice,”said employee Maddy Roberts on Sunday, Sept. 2.
In order to manage the increased traffic, Coastal Supply made some facility adjustments. “At the beginning of the summer, we only had one dressing room, and there were loads of people waiting in line, so to make the flow better for customers, we built another one.”
It wasn’t just store workers feeling like it was a busy summer. In the Steamship Authority terminal in Vineyard Haven, visiting families like the Chemerows — who have been coming to the Island during the summer for the past eight years — have noticed more activity during this summer. They come here for five months each year, and were returning to Boca Raton, Fla.
“The first time we came here was 1981, when we came for vacation. It was not as crowded 40 years ago, but it was still nice this time,” said David Chemerow. “They haven’t ruined it yet,” Chermerow said of Island tourists.
Luz Aristizibal, a friend of the Chemerows, added, “It was my first time here, and I love it.”
However, some visitors found the increase in traffic to be challenging. “We had a harder time relaxing; there seemed to be more traffic,” one person told The Times while leaning against their car in a short line for the ferry. They said they struggled to find parking at grocery stores, and making the trip from Chilmark to the store has gotten more and more difficult.
Back on Main Street in Vineyard Haven, representatives from Vineyard Vines said they had a good summer, thanks to a good supply of applicants.
“We always struggle with staffing at the start and end of the season. This year, we were lucky to have many applicants including college students and for the first time, J-1 visa workers, who have been great,” said Will Turcios, a store manager. The Vineyard Haven location was having a big sale on swimwear.
At the Green Room, at 71 Main St., preparations for a Labor Day sale were in full swing despite not being fully staffed.
“We were really lucky this summer to have some incredible staff members join the team, but we have lost basically all our summer staff,” said Arielle Wannamaker, manager. “A lot of them were college students, so they are back at school now, so we are definitely looking for some more year-round employees.”
“Like any summer, it’s challenging balancing what the staff needs with what the customers need, but it was another good summer altogether,” said Wannamaker.
