It’s starting y’all! The tourist season is among us and I just wanted to touch base before the BOOM of travelers, second home locals, and newcomers begin. It’s Emerald Isle’s motto that Nice Matters, but once Summer hits, it could be the heat or it could be the chaos – but I think some of us often forget this motto!
The merging on the bridge will always pose an issue, the round-about/rotary is confusing for some, the lines will be longer, the beach will be crowded, and not everyone will follow the same moral compass that you do, but let me remind you, when the heat dies down, we still will have each other and we still will have ourselves to answer to. SO, amidst the CRAZY, let’s remember to count our blessings that we get to soak in this vacation spot year round on our beautiful Crystal Coast. Remember, you know how to count to 10 – for a deep breath. The line and wait for anything will be high, but the drinks will still be cold when they get there.
As retail owners, we experience a wide variety of personalities on a day to day basis (most of them pleasant) but even on the hard days, when it’s a FORCED smile when someone has just cussed us out or been abundantly rude, it’s STILL a smile. ‘Nice Matters’ was one of the biggest reasons we moved here. The small town, kind way of thinking is what we’re trying to get our children to follow, and *cough cough* coming from Boston (shhh) it was an adjustment for some! But we’ve made it, we’ve adjusted and we’ve realized that truly, killing with kindness will always make you feel better than anything else. So kind reminders, big smiles, and patience, patience, patience will take us far this Summer folks! When all else fails, remember, we often share cocktails at our events, we know where the best drinks are, we know the secret hide aways on the beach and we know that early rising will still get you some quiet time.
I’ve always chosen to embrace the chaos in my life, because you can’t avoid it. Work will always be challenging, your kids will always be screaming and your house will never look like a model home, so this summer, let’s do the same. Embrace the chaos, enjoy meeting the tourists and listening to their stories, smile at your retail owners, and keep shopping local! Though the summer is a WILD ride for all those that live here year round, it also helps to keep all of our small businesses open and thriving which in turn makes our little economy go round.
We can’t wait to see new and regular faces alike. We’ll keep amping up our inventory, our classes and our cocktails! We’re so happy to be local and to live blissfully where Nice Matters.
