Businesses Optimistic with Busy Weekends on Horizon

Even though the summer season is still young, many area businesses say they have a good feeling about this year's prospects.

"It’s looking good," said Maureen Mazurkiewicz, general manager of Lamie's Inn in Hampton. "We are having, so far, a very good June and May and it's definitely as good if not a little bit better than last year."

A slightly improved economy along with predictions of another hot summer have many area shop and hotel owners looking at 2011 as one of the best, if not the best, in recent memory.

Even with that optimism, though, a few cold stretches or rain-filled weeks -- like one that passed through the area two weeks ago -- could quickly dampen business prospects.

Hampton Area Chamber of Commerce President Doc Noel said the weather, for that very reason, makes predicting tourism and overall business difficult every beach season, although he too expects this summer to be strong.

He said the area will also soon get a good indicator of what lies ahead thanks to one thing happening this week, as well as the fact that the next two weekends are among the busiest of the year for Hampton and North Hampton.

"The real test is now that the kids out of school," said Noel, adding that the end of the school year typically brings an exponentially higher group of tourists to the area. "Also, this weekend is the awards ceremony for the sand sculpting competition, and we're going into Fourth of July weekend after that. This is the tail of the tape. If it's hot that week, there can be 150,000 people on just that one day."

Chuck Bellemore, owner of the Beach View Inn in Hampton, said the start of the season has been "comparable" to June 2010 -- a season he said had "possibly the best weather in 10 to 15 years" -- despite some cold, rainy stretches, which he said makes him feel 2011 could be just as bright.

"We expect to be busy," he said. "The weather’s starting to change and people are getting out. It's been a long winter, and while we don’t have a crystal ball we're hoping everything will continue on and the summer will just come into place."

Local restaurants and bars also reported they expect 2011 to be strong, although they too said it is hard to gauge because of the weather.

La Bec Rouge Bar Manager Tonya Marandola said her Hampton restaurant has already seen some sharp fluctuations due to rain two weekends ago.

She said the bar can get "pretty packed" on sunny days and "really slow" on cold ones, although she said La Bec Rouge is typically busy on nights they host special sports viewing parties or live music.

Many businesses said they have turned to more special events like expanding live music as well as strengthening their websites and Internet presence in order to ensure they can weather the less-than-ideal beach days.

"It's definitely vital," said Mazurkiewicz. "It's a way of getting your name out there. It opens up a whole new door. A lot of people are using the Internet for reservations."

Debbie Tsoronis, manager of The Beach Plum in North Hampton, said Web presence is key, along with building a strong rapport with customers.

Tsoronis said her ice cream stand has gained a national reputation for its lobster rolls, which has helped them increase overall business each and every year.

She said this is the key for any tourist-based or seasonal business, as by increasing the marketing about the shop's awards and opening a new shop in Portsmouth, Tsoronis said her business puts itself into a better position to attract new customers.

She said it also ensures regulars keep visiting -- even on rainy days, which is why she expected 2011 to be the best-yet for The Beach Plum.

"I don’t see it hurting the business," said Tsoronis of inclement weather. "The other day, it was pouring rain and we still had tons of people. We're not scared of the rain. It slows us down a little bit, but we have our regular customers."