BIKERS & BUSINESS

This is our last day at the Oceana Thousand Trails, as we prepare to head a little farther south to our next stop along the WA Coast. We didn't do much yesterday, except for a quick run into Ocean Shores, for a Sunday newspaper, and to pick up a few things at the grocery store. It was late morning when we were driving through town, and it was hard not to notice all of the motor-
cycles, most of which were parked at the many eating establishments. When we have been in the grocery store the past few days, we've noticed that the employees were all wearing Sun & Surf Run T-shirts. The impact that several thousand bikers have on many of the business is mostly all positive. The downside for the locals, is a substantial increase in the noise for a few days, and perhaps longer lines at the restaurants.

I can remember about 15 years ago (has it been that long?), when we were presenting the idea of a new Harley-Davidson Dealership to the very skeptical Jamestown, CA business community.
The comments ranged from "we don't want that kind of business in our town", to "I bet it'll be a hang out for the Hells Angels". The skepticism was palpable. When we left the business, 6 years later, most of the local business owners were our buddies, due to their increase in business from our customers. Particularly, when we had a big event at our store, (we had lots of them), the local motels would fill up, the restaurants had to hire extra help, and in the evening, the watering holes would do a booming business. To our surprise, even the antique shops gave us some positive feedback. We learned that a lot of the women would wander over to Main Street, and in many cases, make purchases that if they couldn't carry on the bike, they would arrange to pick up later, or have shipped. Watching all of the motorcycle activity in Ocean Shores, I couldn't help but draw a parallel to what we saw develop around our former motorcycle business in CA.
I think it's safe to say, certainly with some exceptions, that Ocean Shores is looking forward to next year, when the motorcyclists return in late July.