Deconstruction of my favorite town

New year, new beginnings. Cape May is renovating much of the town to attract more tourists. Although, the locals are becoming angered, businesses are going out of business and I'm starting to worry what Cape May will be like in a few years.


A small town can only take so many changes. When the convention center was condemned it seemed like the worst thing possible. And it was awful; renovation was merely a word that couldn't begin to be fathomed until the money was collected/decided on to rebuild the hall.

But a little further back in time, before the condemning of the hall, was a cute little shop by the name of Rickers. It was your average beach merchandise store. Cape May items you could buy with your name on them, shells, buckets, bathing suits, and toe rings - a general plethora of a young kid's store paradise. In an article in the Cape May Magazine featured in August 2010, the three times CM mayor, Robert W. Ewell Sr. was a frequent shopping of Rickers back in his day.

"The next stop on the west corner of the complex was Dan Rickers, and the store was called just that – Rickers. Mr. Rickers sold Cape May diamonds, knick knacks, souvenirs, post cards, shells, and much more."

But like any beach store, finance was tough and only the summer brought in the money. For the rest of the year, the store would close along with many others on the boardwalk and throughout the small town. But sometimes, money is a tough burden. I don't remember exactly when Rickers closed, but from this article written in 2007, it sounds like the store closed in 2006, which sounds about right.

So Rickers was closed as of 2006. In 2007 the Beach Theatre sitting across from the Boardwalk closed. And not long after in spring 2008, the convention hall was condemned. Strike three for our poor boardwalk. Fast forward to the summer of 2010. No Rickers, no movies, no convention hall and now no Tisha's Dining or the Oasis. Few shops on the boardwalk are left. Now the Surf Shack has no competition with the Oasis - which is thoroughly missed.


And then came the whopper, or at least for my family. December of 2010, Henry's on the Beach Restaurant closed. 13 years of business with Henry's head held high, ended because of the downfall on the boardwalk. Without steady income of foot traffic, the Boardwalk and surroundings are started to decline.


I have to wonder, what's next? Will Morrow's Nut House close? Fudge Kitchen? The clothing stores or surf shop close? How long will the arcade be able to function? It just seems like the oceanfront is losing its classic touch and that's frightening. I'll always love the town for what it is or was, but the future seems unsure.