Long Beach businesses ready for holiday shoppers

Chamber of Commerce, city urging people to shop local this weekend

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“There’s been a tremendous amount of growth for business in the West End since Hurricane Sandy, and not just food businesses,” said 37-year-old Long Beach resident Dan Monteforte, co-owner of the Long Beach Sandwich Co. and Swingbellys Beach-side BBQ. “And a lot of that growth is coming from its residents — a lot of people who own these businesses live in town, and I think there’s something to be said about that.”
Six years after the storm, Monteforte and others say that the hard-hit West End — where residents are still rebuilding and elevating their homes — has been reinvigorated by a number of new restaurants and shops owned and operated by residents that have opened on West Beech Street since the storm.
And many of them were gearing up for the busy holiday weekend. As shoppers nationwide prepared to chase Black Friday deals at malls and big-box stores, the Long Beach Chamber of Commerce, city officials and local business owners urged residents to shop local, especially on Small Business Saturday on Nov. 24.
“It’s important for people to shop local, because most of the people who own businesses here live here,” said Leah Tozer, a member of the chamber’s board of directors and a real estate broker with Engel & Völkers. “You’re helping the local economy and making people take more pride in their storefronts. It brings together this very special community that we have. We have some of the best boutiques in this town, and what you can find here, you can’t find anywhere else.”

Supporting local businesses
The chamber and the city have partnered with numerous businesses in town to offer special holiday deals that will remind shoppers to support independently owned stores, boutiques and restaurants.
The chamber said it has launched a number of initiatives to support local businesses during the holidays, including a window-decorating contest on Dec. 1 and the Electric Light Parade in the West End on Dec. 8, part of an effort to attract visitors to local businesses in the West End.
“We’re also putting together welcome packages for new residents about any specials that businesses are offering,” Tozer said. “We’re giving them out in conjunction with the city.”
The city, meanwhile, has been promoting local businesses through its Long Beach Local View video series — part of an ongoing marketing campaign launched in the aftermath of Sandy aimed at attracting visitors to town throughout the year. The city will also promote Small Business Saturday on social media and its Long Beach Life website, and said its Long Beach Response app offers an interactive map of local shops and restaurants.
Many said that the city’s surf shops, boutiques and eateries offer more personalized service and experiences than customers would find at larger stores. For example, Ooh la la, a trendy women’s boutique at 162 W. Park Ave., will again set up a complimentary wine and sweets bar to create a “welcoming, cozy, shop-local feel,” owner Jennifer Montiglio said, as well as a 15 percent off sale on Friday and Saturday, and free gifts with purchases on Saturday.
“Cyber Monday is our biggest online shopping day of the year by far,” said Montiglio, a member of the chamber’s board. “I think the service part of it is huge, but we also try to give back to the community, whether it’s supporting local nonprofits or holding charitable events and fashion shows. Anything we can do to help the City of Long Beach.”

Reinvigorating the West End
Patricia Bourne, the city’s director of economic development, said that a number of new businesses have opened since Sandy, particularly in the West End, where boutiques such as Reign and Codfish Cowboy, and eateries such as Lost & Found, Blacksmith’s Breads and Baked by the Ocean, have filled vacant spaces. Many of the businesses, Bourne said, give back to the community.
“In the West End, we now have a minimum vacancy rate that’s under 5 percent, and I think for a lot of reasons,” Bourne said. “In Long Beach, the community is very supportive of the businesses and each other. Most of these businesses are owned by local residents, so there’s a tight connection and interaction, and there’s also a wonderful connection between the businesses themselves. There’s a lot of personal attention that you get here that makes it exciting.”
Monteforte said that Swingbellys was preparing more than 100 turkeys to fulfill catering orders for Thanksgiving Day, and added that many of the restaurants and bars in the West End were booked for holiday parties.
Since the storm, Monteforte said, a number of restaurants have opened or were taken over by a close-knit group of chefs who live in town and are revolutionizing the city’s dining scene. That, in addition to the numerous shops that opened in recent years, will undoubtedly attract more customers to the community, he said.
“I think we were conscious that Long Beach and its residents needed a better culinary scene and food,” Monteforte said. “The focus was always on drinking, and we’re trying to change the focus. We just tried to elevate the food scene and bring it up to the times. I believe Long Beach is well on its way to becoming a culinary destination — people are traveling to come here and eat, not just for the beach and not just for the Bud Light.”
Jenna Morace, general manager of Reign Boutique, a trendy women’s fashion shop on West Beech Street that opened a year ago, said the business would hold its first Cyber Monday deals following the launch of its website, and would offer a number of promotions in the store and on social media this weekend.
“Small Business Saturday is always busier for us in Long Beach,” Morace said. “A lot of people in the West End love to shop local and support Long Beach, and the community really acts on that, and it’s humbling to see people get involved. By shopping local, you’re able to get a lot of unique items. We buy in small quality and we have a bunch of different styles, so there’s a strong chance that no one else will have what you have.”