Southport kicks off virtual merchant showcase

SOUTHPORT, NC (WWAY) — After being devastated by Hurricane Isaias, Southport has slowly been picking up the pieces.

That’s why Southport Mayor Joe Pat Hatem is urging everyone to start shopping again.

“We want people to come to Southport,” Hatem said. “It’s time to return to Southport. Not only do we want our local people shopping in Southport, this is for the entire state. Now is the time, especially with the holliday weekend. We want people to come, we want people to shop. They can shop online, or they can shop in person. But we are ready, we are open.”

In an attempt to boost sales, several dozen Southport businesses have become part of an online virtual merchant showcase. The hope is the online exposure will drive customers back to shops during the pandemic.

One of the shops hoping to see an uptick in business thanks to the new merchant showcase is Renee’s Fine Jewelry, owned by Renee Ward.

“This whole year has been something that nobody has been prepared for,” Ward said. “So we’ve had to change it up every single solid week almost. It’s right during tourist season, right during COVID. We’ve got all of these other things going on. It has just been a very unusual year.”

That same story can be heard across town with many of the local businesses. Boo & Roo’s owner, Penny Watkins, says the past several months have been difficult.

“We were closed for eight weeks, and then when we reopened we required mask that we would pass out free to customers,” Watkins said. “But then the hurricane hit. This whole are has been devastated by the two events hitting back to back. It’s all the businesses, it’s the restaurants. But we’re doing what we can. We’re keeping a positive attitude. We do a lot of referals from one store to another, we refer restaurants to one another. So we’re all in this together and we’re all fighting hard.”