People seek to extend summer vacation into September and beyond

SEA ISLE CITY, N.J. - The holiday weekend may be over, but that doesn’t mean people are leaving the Jersey shore. In fact, a lot of people are extending their stays, in some cases, permanently.

“Well there’s still people on the beach, but last year? There was almost no one on the beach,” stated

Labor Day exodus, Tumbleweed Tuesday, it’s traditionally the day people go back to work. Summer’s over, for some. Others are blowing it off this year. Karl prefers sun and sand.

“What are you gonna do outside of Philadelphia that you can’t do right here? Like, my wife works from home. She could work down here, if she wanted to,” stated Karl.

“We had 100 check-ins this past Saturday. Usually, we might have 30 or 40 for the first week after Labor Day,” explained Rob Pellini.

There were 20 calls Tuesday seeking rentals he’s fresh out of. 40 houses listed when he usually has 300, the houses keep selling. Rob Pellini, of Long and Foster Realty, in Sea Isle, says shore real estate is on fire right now.

“I’ve been here 35 years. You can wait six months or a year to sell. They are selling in two or three days. People have money, they’re afraid to travel, they don’t want to get on jets and get the COVID. They’re buying at the shore, they are renting at the shore,” Pellini added.

Wifi gets kids into virtual classrooms and parents to Zoom meetings, so, people can work from the beach, too. Though, people need to eat.

“Never seen it like this in 25 years,” stated Bujar

Bujar owns Fratelli’s Pizza Shore and La Fontana Coast across the street. Restaurants took it on the chin during COVID. He says a warm and mellow autumn could help and people are calling.

“We get the reservation. We see the reservation. They are booking in advance, so that’s how I know they are coming down the shore,”

Bujar gave no indication of the staffing woes that have plagued other shore businesses. Workers have been at a premium during the summer.

___

For the latest local news, sports and weather, download the FOX 29 News app.

DOWNLOAD: FOX 29 NEWS APP

Sign up for emails from FOX 29, including our daily Good Day Digest newsletter!