Shop Guide

DOWNTOWN Shop Ocean City! OC’s Downtown is ready for you! Shop. Dine. Relax. 6th14th streets on Asbury Avenue.

APPAREL l SHOES Alyse’s Shoes 951 Asbury, 391-8859. B&B 827 Asbury, 391-0046. Bohemian Mama 741 Asbury, 938- 6466. Bowfish Kids 956 Asbury, 938-1901. Flying Carp Clothing Gallery 745 Asbury, 391-1546. Could Be Yours 716 Asbury, 703- 4457. Colette 900 Asbury, 525-0911. Donna Gay Dillon 725 Asbury, 399- 0082. Hearth & Sole 636 Asbury & 918 Asbury, 545-8562. Pappagallo 744 Asbury, 398-4009. Sunseekers 751 Asbury, 399-1640. Ta Dah Nine and Ten block of Asbury, 398-6771. 7th Street Surf Shop Clothing, sunglasses, surfboards. 720 Asbury, 398-7070. Sea Oats710 Asbury, 398-8399. Seagrass Boutique 752 Asbury, 938- 2398 Stainton’s A gallery of shops featuring gifts, clothes, jewelry and more. 810 Asbury, 545-8681.

ART GALLERIES Fine Arts League Local art available for purchase. 711 Asbury, 814-0308.

BEAUTY Lindsy James Salon945 Asbury, 525- 9900. Artisan Body Products 920 Asbury, 398-5661. BOOKS l CDS l OFFICE

Sun Rose Words & Music Books

756 Asbury, 399-9190.

FLORIST Spinning Wheel 858 Asbury, 398- 1157.

HOME GOODS l JEWELRY August Heart 715 Asbury, 399-1565. Blind Express 916 Asbury, 399-9940. Butterfly Boutique 1125 Asbury, 391- 0812. Cricket Box 810 Asbury, 391-0055. Glazed Over 704 Asbury, 398-8880. P. Francis846 Asbury, 399-5570. Spotted Whale 943 Asbury, 840-6667.

PET SHOP Animal House 705 Asbury, 398-3771.

SPORTS l ATHLETIC WEAR Harbor Outfitters625 Asbury, 938- 0175. Sneaker Shop Janet and Maureen know their stuff. Sneakers and apparel. 704 Asbury, 391-5223.

SWEETS/GOURMET FOODS Rauhauser’s 721 Asbury, 399-1465. The Beachin' Bakery1046 Asbury.

VARIETY l BEACH ITEMS Hoy’s 5 & 10 7th & Asbury, 398- Hoys. Island Beach Gear Stop by on your way to the beach! 9th & Bay, 788- 3836.

BOARDWALK

APPAREL Jilly’s T-Shirt Factory Get your Phillies at Jilly’s and lots more. 762, 936 and 1048 Boardwalk, 385-1234. BEAUTY LEH SoapHandmade soaps and body products. 1312 Boardwalk. 937 Asbury, open year round.

HOME GOODS l JEWELRY Henry’sOCs Landmark Jeweler OC hook bracelet, Alex & Ani, more. 1236 Boardwalk, 800-214-4435.

SWEETS AND TREATS Fudge Kitchen Candy that melts in your mouth. 800 Boardwalk, 398-7457. Jilly's Candy Factory 1040 Boardwalk, 385-1234. Shriver’s Salt Water TaffyTaffy, fudge, candy. 9th and Boardwalk, 399-0100. Shriver’s Gelato Only gelato on Boards. 9th and Boardwalk, 399-0100.

BAY/WEST AVENUE & SIDE STREETS

NEEDLEPOINT Scrim Discovery Needlepoint shop. Designer canvases. 924 Haven, 398- 6659.

RENTALS Relax Concierge Rent linens, and more online at www.relaxconcierge. com and at 232 West, 601-5077.

ON THE WAY TO OC

SPORTS TackleDirectThe finest in fishing tackle and value. 6825 Tilton, EHT, 788-3819.

APPAREL Yes She Can Bras, swimsuits, workout clothing. Bra fittings too. 30 Tuckahoe Road, 478-3266.

FINALLY >> Head on over to 1235 West Avenue or 2151 Route 50 to find a reason to be active and, most importantly, be outside!

TRENDS

T U C K A H O E B I K E S H O P After months in isolation, outdoor fun has never sounded better

IN A SUMMER full of irony, the one faced by Matt Krumins at Tuckahoe Bike Shop may not be the bitterest, but it is frustrating. At a time when more people than ever are interested in getting bicycles, the bikes themselves have become hard to come by.

“The whole industry now is just totally flipped upside down,” said the longtime shop manager. Ocean City Magazine reached out to talk about trends in bicycling, not about the pandemic, but the pandemic seems to have its own gravity, impacting every aspect of life, including bicycling.

The shop carries about a dozen different brands of bikes, from beach cruisers to high-end road bikes.

“Everyone is totally out of stock. It’s been a fight to get product; between stores even,” he said.

Demand is up, not only for bikes but for any outdoor equipment, he said. He’s heard similar stories about kayaks and other items, including fishing rods, as people look for new ways to keep active and for a reason to get outside after months in isolation.

“The gyms are closed,” he said.

But even as demand grew, supplies dropped. Many factories in China suspended production late last year and into early 2020 because of the coronavirus, Matt said.

“China did shut down for about six weeks,” he said. “There are bikes made in other countries. But when the virus first hit, the whole world shut down.”

The stores carry bikes from Germany, the Philippines, Taiwan and some that were assembled in the United States, but all saw disruptions in manufacturing.

“Then, after everyone being home, they’ve been so isolated, they just want to get out in the nice weather and ride,” he said. Bike riding is a low-impact exercise, and as Matt pointed out, even if you ride with other people you are usually at least six feet apart.

The store locations aren’t empty; each has a selection of bikes ready to ride. But the inventory is tough to come by. Matt said the store was always able to order a bike for a customer looking for something specific. They’d come in, he’d tell them about options, what colors were available and they’d have their bike in a couple of days.

“Now, it’s months,” he said.

Matt began at Tuckahoe Bike Shop in 2006, a few years after Niclas Elmer opened his first location on Route 50 in Tuckahoe. Niclas is from Sweden. He moved to the United States in 1983, launching a business renting bikes at the Jersey shore.

“He wanted to come to America to live the American dream and have his own business,” Matt said. The first one was Surf Buggy bike and surrey rentals, which Matt described as a fundamentally different kind of business. The bikes are dropped off for summer vacationers and picked up at the end of the week. That business remains in operation.

“This was the first brick-and-mortar store he bought,” Matt said, sitting in an upstairs office in the century-old building at 2151 Route 50. The building needed extensive renovations before it was ready to operate.

The shop now has locations in Sea Isle City, Avalon and Ocean City, where a building a 1235 West Avenue has also been renovated after Hurricane Sandy and opened in 2013. Before

that, the Ocean City store was located across the street, in a rented space that once held an appliance store and is now Atilis Gym.

The Ocean City location sells bikes, helmets, equipment and does repairs. On most summer mornings, he said, there is a line outside for flat tire repairs even before they open and the staff spends much of each morning looking after those repairs.

Some people want lights or helmets, he said, but most people coming into the Ocean City location want to buy a bike, or more. With many people buying second homes in the city, he said, people will often come in to stock the house with bikes for riding the neighborhood, a morning Boardwalk ride or for their kids commuting to summer jobs.

“At this store, we try to cater to every type of rider,” he said of the Tuckahoe location, about a half-hour outside of Ocean City. “We try to do that in Ocean City as well, but almost everyone walking in there wants your basic beach cruiser.”

The store also sells all the bells and whistles. Well, the bells, horns and lights. Baskets are the number one addition to bikes at that location, Matt said.

“People do like to accessorize them,” he said.

Handlebar-mounted drink holders are also popular, he said, with some made from real coconuts or fashioned like red Solo cups.

“I wish there were more companies out there that could make even funnier ones,” he said.

According to Matt, and others, Niclas usually avoids interviews, dislikes speaking about himself and hates to be photographed. He is also constantly on the move, Matt said, and would not be interested in sitting down and talking about the business when he could be working on the business.

“He doesn’t want to be in the forefront,” Matt said.

Matt came from the world of BMX, where he learned to maintain his own bike. He knew BMX bikes inside and out.

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Niclas got him out on a road bike, an important part of the business.

“I did fall in love with the sport. I used to ride 30 or 40 miles a day,” he said. “That’s how I learned the mechanics of the bike.”

The road bikes and mountain bikes include an element that was completely novel to a BMX kid: Gears.

Riders have multiple options for the materials that make up the frame, for the styles of tires and everything else that goes into a bicycle. A good road bike costs thousands of dollars, Matt said.

“Over the winter I built a bike for a customer. It was, like, 12 grand. They can get up there,” he said. But right now, the greater demand is for the beach cruisers, which make up about 65 percent of the store’s business.

These bikes are built to last, need little maintenance and can reliably get you around, although Matt said the salt air can start to do damage after a few years.

Bikes date to the 19th century, with the familiar modern design well established by the 20th. But there are still innovations, including the electric assist bike, often called an e-bike.

“That’s the new trend,” said Matt. He said the store has been selling them for about five years. “We do sell quite a lot of them.”

Unlike a moped or a motorcycle, the motor only offers a power assist.

“You still have to peddle. You still get the workout in,” Matt said.

It would be easy not to notice that many of the brands were electric bikes, with the battery and motor hidden in the slightly-wider-than-usual frame. Like with other bikes, e-bike operators are obliged to follow all traffic laws. They are also required to be equipped with headlights and taillights, and riders are supposed to wear helmets.

State law only requires helmets for standard bikes for those under 17, but Matt said he recommends helmets for all riders.

Find something x

special at the Beach House Grille, located at 910 Ocean Avenue

shop talk BEACH HOUSE GRILLE

FOR 30 YEARS, BEACH HOUSE GRILLE HAS SERVED UP THE HAPPY

For some families, breakfast at the Beach House Grille is as much a part of an Ocean City vacation as building a sandcastle or a night at the rides.

The restaurant is open for breakfast and lunch, and if it’s open, you can count on Kathy Landi being up front and her husband Paul Landi stationed behind the grill.

This is their 30th summer at a spot that prizes familiarity and comfort over innovation. Many of the family members who return year after year order the same thing on each visit, Kathy said, and little on the menu has changed over the decades.

“I wouldn’t argue with that,” Paul said. “It’s served us well through the years. I haven’t really changed much, because why mess with what works?”

When Paul and Kathy bought the business, they were already running the Varsity Inn, which they continued to operate through that summer.

“We took over in the middle of summer in 1990, which was basically insanity,” Paul said.

“With two babies,” added Kathy. They said when they look back now, they are amazed they got through it.

They were seated at an outside table under a pop-up shade as the last of the lunch customers finished their meals. At this point, they said, they’ve gotten used to three or four generations of a family coming out to breakfast on their vacation.

It is not just visitors. That table finishing their lunch are the Landi’s neighbors. They talked and joked with the owners at the end of the meal and made plans to connect later that day.

“It’s the best chicken salad in town. It really is,” a woman leans in to say during the interview.

Paul makes up the menu and makes most of the food. He is self-effacing.

“It’s nothing special. We’re known for our omelets and our hotcakes,” he said. “Our creamed, dry beef is a huge seller here.”

While it is obviously comfort food, most people don’t plan a return trip year after year for “nothing special,” however. As the summer of 2020 got underway, Kathy said the restaurant received multiple calls from people who wanted to make sure they could visit the Beach House Grille.

“You hear it all the time. They can’t wait to come down,” Kathy said.

“It’s certainly nice to hear,” Paul said.

He said he does not take shortcuts.

“It’s just good, basic stuff,” he said. “Everything’s homemade. I make all of our soups and gravies. Anything else we make is all homemade.”

Kathy and Paul’s three daughters are grown. Kathy said they grew up around the restaurant, which became a natural gathering place after school activities or events. Kathy said she loves the feeling of community that has grown around the restaurant.

Paul said he knew what he wanted from the start.

“It was always a dream of mine to own my own restaurant,” he said, adding with a deadpan look while his eyes let you know he’s joking, “Now it’s not my dream anymore.”

The couple have cut back some. When they first opened, the restaurant was open year-round, for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

Eventually, they were able to make the business seasonal.

“About five years ago we got to the point where we didn’t have to do that anymore. That was a nice feeling,” Paul said. They stopped serving dinner years before that.

“It just got to be too much with three children,” Paul said.

According to Kathy, since they were not willing to let a manager run their in the neighborhood were also closed due to the virus. Paul said they normally restaurant, staying open meant they could not see their girls’ games or attend account for about 30 percent of their business. school events. On a sunny June afternoon when Paul and Kathy had time to talk, they said

“As they grew up and got into high school, that became more important the outdoor tables have been an improvement. The inside of the restaurant than the restaurant,” Paul said. was empty. Paul did not expect indoor dining to be back to full capacity before

In Ocean City, breakfast is often the big meal out, with fewer options for the end of summer. dinner. Online reviews have given The Beach House high marks, with one The restaurant has new protocols for cleaning and disinfecting. Everything is person posting on a review site that it is the only place she’ll eat breakfast in more work this year, Paul said, and more of that has fallen to the owners. Ocean City. “As business people who have been doing this forever, you just have to adjust.

“I think it’s a Jersey Shore thing,” Paul said. “Breakfast tends to be an event We’ve been doing more and more with less,” he said. “Kathy and I are in here for families when they’re down here.” working harder. But that’s okay. You’ve got to do what you’ve got to do.”

“It’s the same way with our employees,” Kathy added. Some current summer Kathy said they steered their daughters away from taking over the business. employees now have the same job their mothers had years ago. The work is just too hard. That doesn’t mean they don’t love it.

Paul grew up in Delaware County, Pennsylvania. “I love to cook. I love to make people happy with food. It’s all the peripheral

“I’ve always been a summer kid here.” stuff,” Paul said. If a freezer breaks, if an employee calls out sick, if there's an

His father was a teacher who ran a burger and ice cream place at 55th Street. evacuation or quarantine or a leaking pipe, it’s up to the owner to deal with it. He worked there from the time he was about 11, he said. Kathy grew up in Somers Point, up until eighth grade, when her family

“I always wanted to do this. From a very young age. I’m not sure what the moved to Mount Holly. The two met while attending Wesley College in fascination was,” he said. It might have been seeing his dad run the grill all Dover, Del. When they decided to marry and pursue Paul’s dream, she already those years ago. had a dream job, working as a buyer for Macy’s in New York. She loved it, she 45 609-398-1961 M BEACH WEAR arty’s Established 1980 Follow us on Facebook – Marty’s Sportswear Ocean City magazine CELEBRATING 40 YEARS! 1262 Boardwalk, Ocean City, NJ 08226 • martysocnj.com You’ll love our prices! 609-398-1961 FACEBOOK: Marty’s Sportswear He remembers talking with his mother about someday opening a restaurant. “I said, ‘Mom, people always got to eat.' This year proved me wrong. People have to eat, certainly, but if the governor says you’re not allowed to go out and eat, so be it,” he said. The restaurant has survived hurricanes, economic changes and more, but Paul said he has never seen anything like the changes brought on by the coronavirus pandemic. For a time, the restaurant was takeout only, but that was nowhere close to the business they usually saw in the spring. To make matters worse, the big hotels said, but the idea of having family and connecting to a community was more important to her, she said. “It’s been wonderful. It’s been good to us. It’s part of who we are,” Paul said, saying they have met so many friends through their work at the restaurant. “Friends we’ll keep the rest of our lives.” So what’s Paul’s favorite menu item? “I like my hotcakes,” he said. “I make them thinner than most other places do, kind of between a thick hotcake and a crepe. People who like my hotcakes really enjoy them.” - by Bill Barlow