Publisher's Letter
If adversity makes us stronger, as the saying goes, then, damn y’all, we must be Olympic strong. It’s been a long, strange trip with the crazy COVID, and it’s not over yet. Thousands of visitors are back, and if we could look at the Outer Banks from a bird’s view, one might think that it was life as normal down here on these islands. But, of course, from a sea level view, things are far from normal. At the time of this note, restaurants and shops are still at 50% capacity. Most National Park Service visitor centers are closed, as are the lighthouses for climbing. Accommodations are open, yet many are unable to be at full capacity. Our international students, who historically have filled close to 3,500 jobs in the summer, were not allowed to come this year, meaning that most businesses are understaffed.
Why write this? Because, now, during this time in our world where so much has changed, I think it feels better to tell the story as it actually is. We need to admit to each other that we’ve been scared (maybe still are), that many have had to restructure their businesses, that we look for but can’t necessarily find an end to this time in our lives. And we need to support each other in this admitting, restructuring and looking.
But there’s another story that gets to be told here too, and it’s just as true and important. The past three months, I’ve witnessed acts of kindness that made me cry. We’ve all been given the opportunity to have our consciousness opened up about how so many people live on the edge and the fact that that needs to change. We’ve donated and volunteered – or we’ve been the grateful recipients of that work and kindness.
Every single business represented in this magazine has had to adapt in big ways to our ever-changing world. Every single owner of every single business has had to increase their faith and trust muscles. Every single business is working harder than they were this time last year to take care of our visitors and of us locals.
I’m proud of all of us. We’re Outer Banks Strong. And we ALL win the gold medal.
VIEW A DIGITAL VERSION OF THIS ISSUE
A Different Rush with Shopping in Duck
Bookselling in a Time of Crisis and Beyond
A Day on the Docks
Looking Forward with a Decades-Old Outer Banks Establishment
