SEAL BEACH : Summer Unkind to Main St. Merchants

With Labor Day behind them, some Main Street merchants are wondering what happened to summer--and all the customers who usually flock to the seaside business district during the traditional busy season.

Merchants blame the lingering recession and a mild summer for sharp declines in sales.

“People aren’t spending,” said Rene Lyons, president of the Seal Beach Business Assn. and owner of the Man in the Moon children’s store. “People are coming down, but they are careful about what they buy.”

Lyons estimated that business is off by as much as 30% from last year.

Among the hardest-hit businesses are upscale specialty stores and antique shops, Lyons and others said. Main Street’s restaurants are faring better, with owners reporting strong business throughout the summer.

“People will spend money to take themselves out to dinner. But they are not spending a lot on extra gifts,” Lyons said. “People are losing their jobs. They are being more careful with their money.”

Main Street businessman Tom Charara agreed.

“There have been so many thousands of layoffs around here that people are just holding on,” he said. “They don’t have the money to put out.”

Compounding the recession’s impact is the relatively cool summer, which was marked by few sweltering weekends of the kind that attract inland residents to the beach.

“We had June for three months. We haven’t had bad weather. . . . But it hasn’t been really hot.” said John Baker, owner of the Nip ‘N Stuff liquor store on Main Street. “I think people haven’t been coming down to the beach because it is not extremely hot. That’s our draw.”

Tourist traffic in Seal Beach is also down this summer, Lyons said.

Merchants are trying to improve sales by keeping their doors open on Friday and Saturday nights. They hope the later hours will attract customers who have come to Main Street for dinner.

The program is a month old, and Lyons said it had produced modest results.

“It hasn’t done a ton, but it makes people aware that we are open,” she said. “When you have anything new, it takes time” to see results.