Businesses prepare for tourism season

WRIGHTSVILLE BEACH, NC (WWAY) — It’s finally spring, and that means it’s officially tourism season.

“Summer is definitely our biggest season,” said Catherine Yearwood, the owner of Hallelu Boutique in Wrightsville Beach. “We get a big rush in the morning then everybody kinda goes out to the beach. We get like a lunch rush and then we really have our biggest rush right around 3:00. It seems like everybody comes off the beach right around 3 and our store definitely gets pretty packed.”

So how does a business get ready for crowds of tourists to come pouring through their doors?

“We definitely bulk up our buying, we have a lot more merchandise, hire lots of employees,” said Yearwood.

Yearwood said they typically hire summer staff in the springtime, just like around the corner at Trolly Stop Hot Dogs.

“It’s really weather dependent down here. Like today looks beautiful outside but there is like a nice little chilly wind to it so not many people out today,” said Trolly Stop manager Willace Lang.

But come summer Lang said they have customers lining up around the block for hot dogs.