Chincoteague Island .Net

As a town with a large summer visitor population, Chincoteague Island has many businesses that provide services to the thousands of people who visit the Island from Memorial Day to Labor Day.  Once the busy summer season is over, we often hear the question “What shops are open?” from residents and visitors alike. A group of shop-owners from the Chincoteague Cultural Alliance (CCA) and the Historic Main Street Merchants Association (HMSMA) are working together to provide an answer.

The goal of the Chincoteague Island Extended campaign is to help year-round residents and visitors by providing information about the shops that are open during the Extended Season. The schedule will be printed three times a year covering three time periods - October through December, January/February, and March through May.  The Chamber of Commerce is assisting with copying the printed schedules and with distributing the information through the Visitor Center on Maddox Blvd. Copies will also be distributed to all local hotels, inns, restaurants, the town offices and participating shops. A new web site, www.chincoteagueislandextended.com includes shop locations and hours as well as a .pdf version of the print schedule that can be downloaded and copied as needed. To further assist in identification, each participating shop will display the Chincoteague Island Extended logo in the window.

Both associations encourage visitors to take advantage of the slower pace of the extended season and visit the Island throughout the year, saving time and gas by shopping local.

The campaign began this fall with participants from the CCA and HMSMA but other shops, restaurants and services open all year are invited to join the effort. Anyone interested in including a shop, restaurant, hotel or inn as part of the Chincoteague Island Extended campaign, please email Carla Leonard at islandbutterfly26@yahoo.com or Jane Richstein at jane@sundialbooks.com.