|
Post by DooWopStuff on Sept 1, 2006 9:38:51 GMT -5
I guess, maybe I haven't been saying this, but I would much rather WW stay a bit "quaint" (if that is the right word?) and be a 5-month-a-year town, as opposed to putting up 25 story motels, big chain stores and restaurants, etc., to make it a year-around town. And even with the big slammer motels, fancy restaurants, etc., I honestly don't think it could compete with AC for year round convention business, it is just too close geographically. Maybe some other places like Ocean City MD or some of the other places like VA beach can do it to some degree because they are far enough away from other options. But I'm just not optimistic WW would be able to pull it off. Hell, I love the place, but I'm doubtful if l would go between Nov and March, except maybe just as a pass through for an hour or so on my way to Cape May for a weekend or something like that. I can understand how those of you outside the Wildwoods want to keep it "Quaint" and seasonal, but with respect, none of you live here year round and are used to working your tails off for 4 or 5 months only to try and make the unemployment stretch until the next summer. The Wildwoods has always been a summer resort and tourism is our ONLY industry here - except maybe for commercial fishing. Unless you're a doctor or lawyer, or a rich real estate agent or motel owner, etc, you work and work and have nothing to show for it. A lot of locals are tired of living one and a half seasons a year. Maybe this is why we want so desperately to make the Wildwoods year round. BTW, I firmly believe we can do that and still keep it quaint, as long as we have heated hotels and enough winterized boardwalk businesses to support conventioneers. You open one store for the winter and soon there will be two, and then three, and then... Thom P.S. Just a respectful hint to the Moreys, if they're reading this: If we ever hope to go year round, the Convention Center will not only need those heated hotels and bdwk stores but we should also consider having at least a small indoor entertainment complex somewhere around the middle of the boardwalk. In the old days, we had the indoor kiddie rides and merry-go-round at Cedar Avenue. And although that didn't go year round, for many reasons, not the least of which was the lack of a competent convention center, it was indoors and capable of opening in bad weather, giving vacationers a place to go. A possibility might be enclosing the front section of Mariners Landing and making that year round. That way, weekend conventioners might be able to bring their families with them in the winter and the South Jersey locals would have a fun place to go at nights. With warm hotels and a central, winterized, enterainment facility, more and more surrounding stores will begin to blossom year round. This idea isn't so far-fetched if you consider the "Mall of America" (?) or our former Ocean Pier. They showed that successful indoor amusements and entertainment are possible, if you have a sufficient surrounding tourist infrastructure like the convention center, hotels, and some businesses. At least, it's worth consideration, don't you think? If people don't think that Wildwood could ever become a year round attraction, take a look at Wisconsin Dells. They rebuilt that whole are over the last 10 years with motels with enclosed pools & waterparks. Take a look at this site: www.dells.com/waterparkhotels.htm . Wildwood will never be AC and shouldn't, but it can be a 8-9 month location.
|
|
|
Post by fuzzyscorpio on Sept 1, 2006 17:16:39 GMT -5
Al, have you looked at the price tags on stuff in Sand Jamm? More upscaling. And it's so phony. Most of the people who visit down there aren't real surfers and those who are bring their gear with them, I'm sure. And that building is so big and intrusive. It shouldn't have been built on the beach side of the boards, IMO--it belongs on the west side. I also think it's a bad model for that type of retailing on the boards. I buy at least one garment on every visit that says "Wildwood" somewhere, I'll keep doing it as long as I keep visiting, and I wear them, frequently. That habit should be cultivated. I'd like to see the boardwalk get a high-quality Wildwoods souvenir shop--hell, I'd like to open one (in my next life probably...). Part of my dislike of Sand Jamm is all that branded clothing. Sand Jamm should be promoting the Wildwood "brand," instead of Wildwood promoting the Sand Jamm brand. I share your concern about the need for the boardwalk to be updated and upgraded a bit, but I think it's crucial that it be done with a high level of discrimination. Kathi, I hear what you’re saying, but I disagree about Sand Jamm. I’ve know the guys who have run/managed Sand Jamm for some time now, so maybe I’m biased. But, they took a very modest Boardwalk business, established a very solid and loyal clientele through their hard work and dedication, and simply grew to the point that “expansion” was the next logical step. This is a “Wildwood” business through and through. Sure, they sell a lot of branded clothing and such, but I don’t see anything wrong with that. I also own a fair amount of Sand Jamm merchandise that proudly showcases “Wildwood” in some way. I think this place is actually an excellent model for what the “upscaling” of the Boardwalk could and should be. Oh, all right... maybe I'm not being entirely fair or objective here. I never paid any attention to the earlier evolutionary stages of Sand Jamm. So to me, this year, it was like, "whoa, which flight from outer space did that thing come in on??" I took a quick tour, grumbled "yay, a yuppie ripoff clothing store, what a novelty" to myself, and left. I probably did overlook some items with "Wildwood" printed on them--though there's no question the overwhelming brand presence on the shelves was that of Sand Jamm. Actually I don't disagree on that, I know what you're saying. It brings some warmth to that intersection that offsets the terribly cold emptiness where the Shore Plaza was, not to mention that butt-ugly Sam's Pizza structure, also a cold fish. (As for the Magic Brain, I approve --it was time for the boardwalk to have an Internet joint.) As neo-doowop goes, it's not bad My biggest problem with Sand Jamm is as a precedent... like I said yesterday, I don't think the people calling the shots down there these days know when enough is enough. Imagine how the character of the boardwalk would change if a couple dozen more structures on that scale went up along the west side. The beach must be respected, Wildwood is nothing without it. If the town doesn't maintain iron control over development on that side of the boards, the boardwalk will be ruined.
|
|
|
Post by jerzeygurl on Sept 1, 2006 18:51:43 GMT -5
Slightly off topic perhaps, but I really don't see the problem with "high end" shops appearing on the Boardwalk. As for some of the newer places, the Cook's Shoppe (or however it's spelled) is a nice addition I LOVE the Cook's Shoppe!! It's so cute. I'd love to see more t-shirt shops and tattoo parlors replaced with shops like this. I also can't wait for them to put down new boards on the boardwalk -- it's been really bouncy this summer!
|
|
|
Post by Robert on Sept 1, 2006 22:53:56 GMT -5
What is the Cook's Shoppe? What do they sell? Is there soon to be shops that sell things other than souvenirs, toys, T-shirts, music products (like tapes/CD's) and food?
|
|
|
Post by Al Alven on Sept 1, 2006 23:07:11 GMT -5
As neo-doowop goes, it's not bad My biggest problem with Sand Jamm is as a precedent... like I said yesterday, I don't think the people calling the shots down there these days know when enough is enough. Imagine how the character of the boardwalk would change if a couple dozen more structures on that scale went up along the west side. The beach must be respected, Wildwood is nothing without it. If the town doesn't maintain iron control over development on that side of the boards, the boardwalk will be ruined. I agree with this, 100 percent. However, I don't feel that the new Sand Jamm building will set in motion a negative precedent for one main reason. Essentially, the structure is really just another add-on to the actual base of the old Hunt's Pier itself. It replaced a former game stand (albeit something much smaller in size), but was not built into an area that would obstruct views of the beach or ocean in any way. As long as new construction on this (or similar) scale on the east side of the Boardwalk is limited to the parameters of the already existing piers, I don't forsee this being a problem.
|
|
|
Post by Al Alven on Sept 1, 2006 23:08:17 GMT -5
Just as a quick aside, how many structures are located on the east side of the Boardwalk, not including the piers themselves? Off the top of my head, from north to south, I have:
- Game stand at or near Magnolia Ave.
- St. Anne's car raffle/Fame store at or near Glenwood Ave.
- Douglass Pavillion at Wildwood Ave.
- 3400 block (which features the two Hot Spot locations on either end, Stanley Sportland arcade, Old Time Photos, Captain Deckins, and one or two other stores); Actually, with this being the former site of the old Starlight Ballroom, the east side of the Boardwalk in this location has been occupied for many years.
- Wildwood Visitor Center at Schellenger Ave.
- The NASCAR store/Monster truck center (or whatever that building is) just south of Fun/Wild Wheels/Adventure Pier.
- The Convention Center
- Small restroom building a few blocks south of the Convention Center, close to the southern end of the Boardwalk.
Am I forgetting anything?
|
|
|
Post by FlyinGN on Sept 2, 2006 8:50:03 GMT -5
good memory Al. Isn't the police station above the bathroom building??
|
|
|
Post by MMM on Sept 2, 2006 20:30:29 GMT -5
Just as a quick aside, how many structures are located on the east side of the Boardwalk, not including the piers themselves? Off the top of my head, from north to south, I have: - Game stand at or near Magnolia Ave. - St. Anne's car raffle/Fame store at or near Glenwood Ave. - Douglass Pavillion at Wildwood Ave. - 3400 block (which features the two Hot Spot locations on either end, Stanley Sportland arcade, Old Time Photos, Captain Deckins, and one or two other stores); Actually, with this being the former site of the old Starlight Ballroom, the east side of the Boardwalk in this location has been occupied for many years. - Wildwood Visitor Center at Schellenger Ave. - The NASCAR store/Monster truck center (or whatever that building is) just south of Fun/Wild Wheels/Adventure Pier. - The Convention Center - Small restroom building a few blocks south of the Convention Center, close to the southern end of the Boardwalk. Am I forgetting anything? Hot Spot, Jilly's,...
|
|
JIMD
Full Member
Posts: 221
|
Post by JIMD on Sept 5, 2006 18:30:26 GMT -5
I've said this before, too many chains will ruin the place, and trying to turn the town into a year-round resort (or 10-11 month resort like the article suggests) is lunacy. I could imagine telling my friends this: Me: Hey guys, I just found this great place for a conference we can attend in January. The "guys": Great. Where, South Beach, the Caymans? Me: Nah, I figured we can go to Wildwood New Jersey. The "guys": Are you "nucking futs"? Me: Awe, come on, sure, we'll freeze our as-ses off, but hey, it's only a 40 min ride to Atlantic City. You mean you won't freeze in Atlantic City? Why can AC stay open all year and Wildwood can't. Just because of gambling. Those people there don't stay inside all the time, they walk the boardwalk too. I said it before, first we get the convention center, then we get the hotels to fill it, and at the same time, we need to convince stores to winterize. Gateway 26 and a fudge shop open all year just aren't enough. The Wildwoods is still a work in progress, just because we have never had it (open year round) doesn't mean it can't work. Thom AC does survive JUST because of gambling. They are in fact hurting because of the Connecticut casinos and are trying to get sports gambling. Wildwood will never be more than a 6 month resort
|
|
|
Post by nance on Sept 6, 2006 2:05:23 GMT -5
That's why AC started building the casinos; to "bring back" the old AC. It was literally dying. It might have brought the people, but it will never be the Atlantic City I remember from the 60's and early 70's. Wildwood is still going strong as a family resort and should never ever change that.
|
|