Ocean City Has Its Own 'Boardwalk Empire': Jilly's

Jody and Randy Levchuk have worked at Jilly’s on the Ocean City Boardwalk their entire lives. Actually, longer.

The brothers’ parents opened on the Ocean City Boardwalk in 1976, a year before Jody was born and two years before Randy arrived. This year marks the 35^th anniversary the Levchuks have been in business in "America’s Greatest Family Resort."

Although they attended school elsewhere as youths, “We grew up every summer of our lives in Ocean City,” says Randy, who, along with his brother, is an Ocean City homeowner and registered voter. “A lot of people get a shore house for the summer. Not us. We grew up working for our parents in the summer. If we weren’t working, it didn’t feel right.”

They’ve successfully built upon that early foundation, taking control of day-to-day operations of an empire that employs as many as 100 seasonal employees. Their father, Paul, and mother, Jill (who is constantly reminded of her dislike of her nickname, as Jilly's is emblazoned across the front of all but one of the family’s eight businesses), opened Jilly’s Ice Cream in 1984 and the Dollar Store in 1993.

Then the brothers revved up the frequency and speed with which they opened new enterprises, opening both and in 2001, another Jilly’s T-Shirt Factory in 2003, The Spot by Jilly’s in 2005 and another Spot in 2006. That second Spot became by Jilly’s this year, driven by reduced consumer demand for designer duds and increased interest in sports apparel.

“It’s the theory of evolution,” says Jody, the more hyper and intense of the brothers. “Things have to change. Fashion changes. We saw what people wanted. We felt it. The fashions we were carrying were going out of style. People no longer wanted $300 designer jeans and $300 Salvatore Ferragamo sunglasses.”

What people wanted was lots of Philadelphia and New York team gear, with a look that they can’t buy elsewhere. So the Levchuk brothers, knowing they were going to convert The Spot by Jilly’s in the 700 block of the Boardwalk to The Sports Spot by Jilly’s, spent the winter working with manufacturers to create lines of Major League Baseball- and National Football League-approved clothing that are exclusive to Jilly’s. “We formed a creative team with the licensing agents to put together a line for us,” Jody says.

The result is an inventory of team- and player-specific apparel, as well as shirts that are blank so that customers can have their own names and numbers printed on the back. The Levchuks also invested in a machine that can stitch customer names on baseball caps.

A trend the Levchuks have noticed is a growing tendency for customers to buy shirts based on appearance, not necessarily team allegiance. “I’m a grown kid,” Jody says of himself, despite his newlywed status to a woman who shares his mother’s name, Jill. “My shirt has to match my sneakers. That’s the way people buy now. They may not be a fan of the team, but they like the shirt colors, so they’ll buy it.”

Jilly’s was already an expert in shirts, thanks to its two T-shirt factories that carry 5,000 different designs available for free with the purchase of a shirt. “Families come in and make an activity out of it,”
Jody says. “They’ll take a half-hour to decide what color and what  design they want on each shirt.”

Unlike other dynasties on Ocean City’s Boardwalk – such as Kohr Bros with five custard stands, Johnson’s with three caramel popcorn stores, and Mack & Manco with three pizzerias – Jilly’s is diversified. “Our concepts are fresh,” Jody says, and Randy hints there are more: “We have a few things brewing.”

Neither brother will say more other than to reveal that next summer will bring renovations to their French fry and ice cream factories – “new life with cool color concepts,” Jody says – plus the introduction of a new mascot, Silly Jilly, named for the brothers’ mother. “Nothing represents us more than our mom,” Jody says.

The Jilly's name, although a family joke, is not taken lightly by the brothers, nor is what it represents. “Our philosophy is consistency from place to place,” Jody says. “Whether you are eating with us, playing with us or shopping with us, our employees are friendly and courteous. Customers tell us they just know they’re in a Jilly’s place.”

Keeping concepts fresh and keeping their pulse on what the buying public wants keeps the Levchuks busy. Their French Fry Factory employees scrub, cut, soak and fry as many as 1,300 pounds of potatoes in a busy day, 750 to 1,000 pounds on an average day. Think there’s nothing new in French fries? Turns out dipping sauces are all the rage and little cups that attach to the fry bucket are the convenience godsend of the summer.

In addition to the usual ketchup and melted cheese, Jilly’s French Fry Factory offers eight different dipping sauces, including bleu cheese, ranch, chipotle, wasabi and hot sauce. Jody’s favorite is Parmesan peppercorn. “It is almighty,” he declares.

It is a testament to the Levchuks’ business savvy that they have been able to keep the original Boardwalk business, the arcade, in business. “It is very difficult to compete with cell phones, gaming devices and computers,” Randy says. “What has helped us over the years is repeat customers.”

“That arcade is built on tradition,” Jody says. “It is impossible to duplicate an actual pinball machine. There’s nothing like it. The dynamic of the noise, the vibration, moving the flippers with your fingers, jostling the machine … no cell phone can give you that.”

A few other things keep the arcade humming: It is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week in summer; it is one of the few Boardwalk businesses to remain open year-round; and a game of Skee Ball still costs 10 cents.

“For $5, you can play 50 games,” Randy says. “What else can you buy on this Boardwalk for $5?”

The Jilly's empire

by Jilly’s, 762 Boardwalk, 609-385-1234, ex. 4

, 936 Boardwalk, 609-385-1234, ex. 2, Tshirt@JillysOC.com

, 1034 Boardwalk, 609-385-1234, ex. 5, info@JillysOC.com

Dollar Store, 1044 Boardwalk

Jilly’s T-Shirt Factory, 1048 Boardwalk, 609-385-1234, ex. 1, Tshirt@JillysOC.com

The Spot by Jilly’s, 1066 Boardwalk, 609-385-1234, ex. 3,
TheSpot@JillysOC.com

, 1168 Boardwalk, 609-399-2814, Arcade@Jillysoc.com

Jilly’s Ice Cream Factory, 1172 Boardwalk, 609-399-2814,
info@JillysOC.com

This story is part of Patch's ongoing look at the changing American Dream. Tell us about your version of the American Dream by emailing Doug Bergen at douglas.bergen@patch.com.