'Ambiance' Owner In Point Pleasant Beach Determined, But Worried

POINT PLEASANT BEACH – Donna Provenzano, owner of Ambiance gift shop, said she's been getting ready for New Jersey's reopening even if everybody isn't quite ready themselves.

Provenzano said her gift shop has been at its Arnold Avenue location for more than 21 years and "we’re all scared at this point because we don’t know what’s going on."

She's determined to try to stay strong amid the coronavirus pandemic now that numbers have been dropping, and Gov. Phil Murphy has been slowly reopening businesses in stages. She's hopeful that the steady clientele she's developed in two decades will return.

And Provenzano said she's also determined to do whatever needs to be done to make customers feel comfortable.

"I’m going to have a contractor come to my store and put up a divider so my customers feel safe paying for their merchandise," she said.

Of course, even as she's tried to stay positive, Provenzano still has lingering questions. One is: Will it all be enough for her store and others to sustain themselves?

"It's just been hell," she said, adding that businesses in town "have lost so much money."

Murphy announced last week that in-person retail was set to begin on June 15th, and currently, pick-up service is allowed.

But in a town like Point Pleasant Beach, a successful reopening doesn't just happen like magic, Provenzano said.

Much of the Jersey Shore business community is seasonal, and Provenzano said a number of people likely decided to ditch the Jersey Shore as a summer travel destination after vacation rentals were suspended.

She noted that the closing of the arcades and rides on the Point Pleasant Beach boardwalk likely caused families to seek alternatives.

"People have already made other plans," she said. "You have a week off and you have children; you're not coming to Point Pleasant."

And many people, she said, are still nervous about the virus.

"There are still a lot of people who are paranoid, who are really scared," Provenzano said.

As the town continues to deal with the coronavirus crisis, Mayor Paul Kanitra said officials recognize that this is "a difficult time this is for our business community."

"Members of the council and our town committees have been pitching in and mulching and weeding downtown," he said. "We're in the process of working on a pop-up program to spur commerce and foot traffic when things open up."

But, on top of that, Provenzano would like more information on how a store like hers can operate now that social distancing will be the norm.

She also wonders how new businesses can sustain themselves "when there is no money coming in."

"I look at them and I say, 'Good luck,' " she said.

Still, Provenzano is doing what she can, recognizing that unity is needed.

She dressed her store window in patriotic colors, and she paid homage to essential workers with a "thank you" sign.

She's also ready to engage in any creative ideas to give businesses in a community a jump start.

Indeed, Point Pleasant Beach is looking at a "parklet" plan to create more temporary outdoor space in the downtown.

The parklet, which would be for Arnold and Bay avenues, is typically a sidewalk extension that provides space and and other outlets for businesses that want to use the street.

Unfortunately, Kanitra said, Arnold and Bay avenues are both county roads and the ability to allow this rests in the hands of the county administrator, county engineer and freeholders.

"We have offered to jump through whatever hoops are necessary to make this happen and we hope they will allow us to be able to help our businesses that so desperately need it," Kanitra said.

Provenzano said she liked what she saw in other towns that allowed businesses to be open in the street and "they’re going to stop traffic from coming so the stores, which I think is so fantastic and such a great idea," she said.

"The shop owners and restaurants are so elated about this (idea)," she said. "I would love to get this going in Point Pleasant Beach as well."