LETTER: Bring Back the Harbor Parties — Everyone Benefits

September 3, 2012

DEAR EDITOR,

I must agree with George’s opinion column (although I heard it is more fun to disagree with him): the Harbor is the only logical spot for a Cape Charles sunset party — unless Bay Creek is willing to offer one of its lovely waterfront sites. Whining that George is not nice to our generous Northampton Chamber of Commerce by raising this issue is circumventing the reality: the alternatives suck in many ways.

Cape Charles is resonating with justifications for moving the Harbor Party to the streets of Cape Charles:
— Food vendors unhappy with the competition from the Shanty;
— The Shanty perceiving the police line as an impediment to restaurant access; and
— Music in one venue interfering with music in the other.

And yet, the reality is that both food vendors and the Shanty would benefit from the synergy created by positioning the event in the proximity of the restaurant.

Research has repeatedly determined that a physical concentration of competing vendors results in higher foot traffic and greater sales for all, compared to alternative positioning.

This is the rationale behind the creation of shopping centers and malls where retailer after retailer carries the same types of products, behind concentrations of restaurants on particular streets (see Restaurant Row on West 46th Street between Eighth and Ninth Avenues in Manhattan), and many other concentration decisions of services.

In the Shanty/vendor situation, a Harbor Party would create greater foot traffic for both, with people drawn by the choice of music and the choice of places where they could sample their fried invertebrates, with the possibility to socialize in both venues.

The Northampton Chamber of Commerce Harbor Parties have been our most popular events for more than a decade. Let’s keep it that way. The alternatives we have had so far — the gazebo flop and the beach-sliver event this past weekend — are noteworthy only in that they provide great free music for everyone in town.

Help businesses profit and throw a real Harbor Party next time.

DANA LASCU
Cape Charles

Letters to the Editor are welcome on any subject relevant to Cape Charles, and a diversity of opinions is encouraged.  Letters should be original and never submitted elsewhere. Email submissions to [email protected].