Ahead of Memorial Day, Island braces for summer of ‘Jaws’

1 of 7

Visitors streaming out of Steamship Authority ferries in Vineyard Haven this weekend will likely notice a gift shop window clustered with apparel commemorating the 50th anniversary of “Jaws,” the 1975 summer blockbuster classic. 

A gray banner printed with “Jaws” T shirts hangs above a large window of Neptune’s Sea Chest, along with shark-themed clothes and tchotchkes. 

“As soon as [customers] walk in, they say, ‘Where’s the ‘Jaws’ stuff? Where’s the ‘Jaws’ stuff? I see it in the window, where’s the ‘Jaws?’” said Maby Carter, clerk and employee of the year at the seasonal gift shop. 

The Vineyard’s tourism season traditionally kicks off on Memorial Day weekend, with shops and restaurants reopening their doors to the waves of visitors getting away for the long weekend before the official start of summer.

And it isn’t just Neptune’s that is gearing up for this second summer of “Jaws.” 

“Our motel is fully booked for the weekend of the ‘Jaws’ fest,” said Robert Lamparski, general manager of the Vineyard Harbor Motel. The Tisbury lodging has the “luxury” of being located on a beach, so Lamparski said they plan to show the first two “Jaws” movies outdoors on a projection screen. 

But despite the expectation of summertime hustle, some in the Island’s business community are wary of economic uncertainties, particularly from the fallout of the Trump administration’s policies. 

“I think people are kind of trying to figure out how the tariffs will affect [them] … and tourism [from different countries] could be affected by the current administration,” said Erica Ashton, executive director of the Martha’s Vineyard Chamber of Commerce.

There are added costs with the new tariffs, and there’s also fear that Trump policies and rhetoric have caused animosity with some would-be visitors.

Some Island business owners are eyeing a potential sharp reduction of Canadian visitors especially, which some say is a big tourist demographic for the Vineyard. Some Canadians have been outraged by the trade war sparked by President Donald Trump’s tariffs and his calling their country the “51st state”; some have even boycotted goods from the U.S., and are traveling less to the country. According to travel data from April compiled by Statistics Canada, a Canadian government agency, the number of Canadians driving to the U.S. plummeted by 35.2 percent, while the number of Canadian air travelers to the U.S. fell by 19.9 percent, compared with the same period last year. 

J.B. Blau, who owns the Year-Round Restaurant Group, said an absence of Canadian tourists may not be felt much during the summer, and he’s keeping an eye on September and October, when tourism begins to die down. 

“It’s a wait and see,” Blau said. 

Business owners also noted shifting consumer patterns, particularly an increase in visitors making relatively “last minute” plans. 

Lisa Lucier, owner broker of Anchor Realty, highlighted that rentals overall have been slightly lower the past couple of years, which could be chalked up to the economy. She said higher costs and tightening budgets have led to visitors who’ve saved money for a vacation to make more frugal Vineyard plans, including shorter stays. 

“People will come, but they may be eating in instead of eating out … trying to save a little bit,” she said.

Steamship Authority officials also have noted that uncertainties in the economy may be forcing some to hold on until the last minute to book reservations. Communications director Sean Driscoll told The Times that just 63 percent of the ferry line’s vehicle reservation space on the Vineyard route has been filled as of Wednesday. At the end of last season, that number had risen to 89.3 percent of space. He noted this includes hazardous materials and cargo reservations, which regular customers can’t book, and preferred and excursion rate spaces, which usually aren’t booked until closer to the departure date. So the entire percentage is expected to be higher by the end of the summer schedule

“Everybody’s seen a softer demand going into the summer,” Driscoll said. 

Larkin Stallings, owner of the Ritz and president of the Oak Bluffs Association, said his business will likely feel a pinch, since many of the alcohol products he carries are from Canada and Mexico, both of which have had tariffs imposed by the Trump administration. 

Stallings noted that there’s been some trepidation among business owners that the Island may be “starting to price ourselves out,” becoming a less affordable destination. Even outside of tariffs, Stallings said, post-COVID hikes in housing rates and operational costs forced businesses to “jack prices up” in order to survive. 

Despite difficulties, Stallings said there’s enough fun offered by the Vineyard that visitors will continue to come. 

“Nobody is screaming that the sky is falling,” he said. “Everyone is buckling down.”

Susan Goldstein, proprietor of Mansion House hotel in Tisbury, said while visitors “may spend a little less,” people still come to the Vineyard “even when the rest of the world is experiencing a financial downturn.”

“The Vineyard gets into people, and they need to get their Vineyard hit,” Goldstein said. 

While there is an air of uncertainty, the 50th anniversary of “Jaws” is bringing excitement and anticipation. That is evidenced at the Vineyard Chamber of Commerce, where a large reproduction of the 1975 “Jaws” actors call sheet is on display in the main lobby. The chamber has become a one-stop shop for all “Jaws” 50th events.

Among the various events planned, there’s a free screening of a documentary featuring the inside stories of “Jaws” at the Martha’s Vineyard Performing Arts Center in Oak Bluffs. That is packaged with an afterparty at Harbor View Hotel in Edgartown, featuring the synchronized swimming group Aqualillies, wearing 1975-style bathing suits.

“As soon as that goes live, it’ll be like, ‘Wow,’” said Alessandra Hagerty, the Chamber of Commerce’s deputy director. “I think it’s going to break the website.”

As the date of the anniversary approaches, the bustle of the summer season is already underway across the Island in anticipation for “Jaws” activities.

Michael Currid, owner of Edgartown Tour Co., said he’s had “exponentially more” bookings for his “Jaws” tours. Still, while he is expecting a busy season, he said that Island summers can be unpredictable.

“I never remember a year [when] business owners have been overconfident,” Currid said. Still, he thinks with “Jaws” festivities, “this is the summer that the Island will grow.”

Business owners who’ve provided decades of summertime service also know the Island’s tourism season has its crests and troughs from year to year. 

Back at Neptune’s Sea Chest in Vineyard Haven, while gazing around her store, owner Gayla Medeiros told The Times her mother opened the gift shop nearly 50 years ago. While the store had always carried shark merchandise, “Jaws” has brought an uptick in visitors to the store. She’s excited for what the season will bring, but there’s always an uncertainty surrounding the industry.

“Every summer’s different,” she said.