If ever there was a year to do your holiday shopping on Hatteras and Ocracoke, this is it.
It?s been a tough year for many ? but not all ? island businesses. And they sure could use your support as you shop for Christmas gifts for friends and family.
A slowdown in construction, real estate, and tourism has taken its toll on islanders.
I hope you will read the articles by Outer Banks Sentinel Editor Sandy Semans, which are posted on the Local News Page.
Semans is digging into the facts and figures on how the economic downturn and more extensive beach closures for nesting birds and turtles have affected Hatteras Island much more dramatically than the rest of Dare County.
Countywide, the unemployment rate is up, and there is more demand for help from the Department of Social Services. However, it?s a much more sobering picture when you look at those countywide statistics and break them down into areas north and south of Oregon Inlet, as Semans has done.
Semans looked at the unemployment rates north and south of the Bonner Bridge, as well as the increased requests for help from social services in the same areas.
She writes that based on statistics provided by the Labor Market Division of the North Carolina Employment Security Commission, the September unemployment rate for Dare County north of Oregon Inlet was 6 percent. On Hatteras Island, that number was estimated to be 12.8 percent, with the highest estimated unemployment rate for September in Salvo?28 percent.
Likewise, requests for social services help have risen dramatically in the past year.
Jay Burrus, director of the Dare County Department of Social Services, provided a breakdown of food stamp recipients north and south of Oregon Inlet to the Sentinel.
Between 2008 and this year, he said, the countywide increase in food stamp recipients has been 59.3 percent. North of Oregon Inlet, the increase was 56.6 percent. On Hatteras Island, the increase was an astounding 81.6 percent.
Countywide, retail sales, occupancy, and meals and beverage tax collections are also down for the year, with some of the more dramatic decreases on Hatteras Island.
Occupancy taxes are also down in Hyde County, where almost all of the tax comes from rentals on Ocracoke.
Of course, the recession is a big reason why construction has almost ground to a halt, real estate sales have tanked, and tourism is down.
But when you look at figures north and south of Hatteras Inlet, it is clear that there is more in play than just the economy. And most business people will tell you that they believe that the widespread beach closures of popular recreational areas on the Cape Hatteras National Seashore for nesting birds and turtles are playing a role in the dismal economic picture on the island.
Our businesses need the support of residents and visitors, especially now.
You don?t have to build a new house or buy one to help the economy.
You can help by shopping locally this holiday season at Hatteras and Ocracoke stores and shops, almost all of which are locally owned.
When our locally owned businesses do well there is a trickle down effect that benefits employment and the general economic climate on the island.
We have our usual Christmas on the Island Page that will remain on the Web site during the holiday season.
In addition to holiday features and events, this year there is a holiday shopping guide.
In the guide, you can find information about special gifts, holiday floral arrangements and Christmas trees, and good food to put on your table. There are plenty of terrific gifts and holiday decorations and groceries that you can buy right here.
We hope you will visit those businesses and all of the others that need your support this year.
Sandy Semans at The Outer Banks Sentinel is working on other statistics that will help quantify the effects of the economy and the beach closures on Hatteras and Ocracoke. The Island Free Press will continue to post articles from her as she publishes them.
JUDGE BOYLE, ARE YOU PAYING ATTENTION?!?
No, of course he?s not.
These figures are not surprising but heartbreaking nevertheless. Irene, thank you and thanks to Sandy Semans. You?ve written a very powerful public comment to the impending DEIS.
Great advice Irene! Our everyday purchasing decisions can have a huge impact on building a stronger local economy and, by extension, taking care of our friends and neighbors. Sometimes we forget to look beyond the lowest price mantra that?s been drilled into our heads and neglect to consider the social, environmental, and economic costs associated with our decisions. Think globally, buy locally.
Irene, good advice and we will take it. I intend to shop in the local stores for our Christmas gifts.
I have a rule about buying fishing equipment that I have used for decades: I buy ALL my stuff from the shop that sells me bait. Yes, I could save $20.00 using an online store to buy a reel however that reel is near worthless without out the local support from a tackle store selling me bait or letting me know which ramp has the best hole. Try talking to the sales associate at Bass Pro Shops about which wind is best for big drum in November.
I love the OBX and intend to put my money where my mouth is.
Thanks for a very sobering account of the economic conditions on Hatteras Island. Please keep the statistics coming. The denial of public access to the seashore has played a big role in hurting the local economy. Your advice to Christmas shop on Hatteras Island is excellent as are the above reader comments. We have already started our Christmas shopping on the island and will encourage others to do the same. There are some gifts out there found no where else on Earth. Thanks for your article.
?Good advise?.and I hope all that can will do their shopping on the Islands?sadly if this was truely a success, the DOW / SELC would spin it to their favor?.
I have been a visitor of Hatteras Island for 51 years. We have always supported the island and will continue to do so. There are wonderful shops on the island and Ocracoke. I have my favorites which are Indian Town Gallery, Craftsman Village in Ocracoke and the newest shop in Frisco which carries only items from N.C. crafters. And don?t forget the Dancing Turtle for the best company and drinks. I visit the island several times a year. Our family comes every Thanksgiving and spend a week together and always enjoy the shopping. The craft show at the school is always nice.
I think its awful the way the beach has been restricted due to the birds or should I say the people behind whats going on with the birds. There are real people trying to earn an honest living on Hatteras Island. Someone should sit back and rethink the closing of the beaches. You?re hurting families who have lived here for years. I?m a visitor but I feel like its my second home. It should go back to the way it used to be and let the island survive and nature take its course. KEEP THE ISLAND ALIVE.