Surviving the Man-Made Storm- Effects of Oil on SoWal Businesses

The silver lining may be that IF the oil hits our beaches, there will be thousands of volunteers and paid contractors coming down to help and possibly make up for the lack of tourists.

Thank you Tara.

Local businesses advertise free on SoWal.com - go to Advertise on SoWal.com and send form to us.

The silver lining may be that IF the oil hits our beaches, there will be thousands of volunteers and paid contractors coming down to help and possibly make up for the lack of tourists.

Unless you're in the actual beach business with umbrellas and chairs....


Volunteer my a$$...I'll be happy to clean-up for a BP paycheck since they're about to take mine!

(don't get me wrong...I'm all about volunteering, but this is a wee bit different.)

None of us will be able to survive an entire season without tourist dollars unless we all band together to keep as much of our money in SoWal as we possibly can. Never before has keep it local meant as much as it will now. Before you shop at Target, Walmart, JCrew, etc. or dine at Whataburger, Panera Bread, or Carrabas, etc. consider how you could spend that same money at a privately owned shop or restaurant on or near 30A. And 30A business owners, please offer a locals discount! We have to help one another weather this man-made storm.

Has 30A ever had a hurricane related event that wiped out an entire season of tourists?

Perhaps those that have weathered hurricanes in the past can share their strategies for business survival.

I totally agree with you Tara, we must pull together to try and survive this disaster. The Beaches of South Walton has many great assets: terrific restaurants, great shopping, festivals, hike-bike paths, our coastal dune lakes, not to mention the outstanding hospitality. We must ask our patrons not to give up on us in our time of need. We push the local businesses almost on a daily basis on both our Guest Services section of our website and also out on our Facebook page, and are proud to do so. Maybe we can start a campaign pinpointing our positives and asking for continued support when we need it the most.

One thing to keep in mind is that sometimes the chains have a much of a local face as the indie store do. It's just that John Doe decided to open a sandwich or pizza shop, he decided to pay a franchise fee to Subway or Little Caesar's instead of going with a standalone approach to his shop.

I totally agree with you Tara, we must pull together to try and survive this disaster. The Beaches of South Walton has many great assets: terrific restaurants, great shopping, festivals, hike-bike paths, our coastal dune lakes, not to mention the outstanding hospitality. We must ask our patrons not to give up on us in our time of need. We push the local businesses almost on a daily basis on both our Guest Services section of our website and also out on our Facebook page, and are proud to do so. Maybe we can start a campaign pinpointing our positives and asking for continued support when we need it the most.

I've set up "Not Just-A-Fair-Weather-Fan of Scenic-30A" group on Facebook: Not-Just-A-Fair-Weather-Fan of Scenic-30A | Facebook

"We?re asking patrons of Scenic Hwy. 30A to please support the area during the looming oil spill. As many of you already know, Scenic Hwy. 30A area is one of the most beautiful places in the world and we need volunteers to help us keep it that way. Please consider volunteering your time this season rather than cancelling your reservation. The local businesses throughout the area are relying on you. We have terrific restaurants, shopping, hundreds of miles of biking & hiking trails, seasonal festivals and our incredible coastal dune lakes--not to mention the outstanding hospitality. In turn, we're asking the area businesses to show their appreciation to you by extending discounts to those giving support during this difficult time. Scenic Hwy. 30A has been there when you needed a place to relax, chill-out and reconnect with yourself, please consider showing your support."

Rental Agencies may want to consider adding the link when responding to e-mails from future guests who are considering cancelling their reservations, and also offering discounts to people who are coming in to volunteer.

Please let's all pull together for the sake of the community.

Can I suggest that you put, front and center on this page, that there is no oil on our beaches and that the beaches are open and fine, and then update that as necessary?

Can I suggest that you put, front and center on this page, that there is no oil on our beaches and that the beaches are open and fine, and then update that as necessary?

Good idea! Thanks.

Great silver lining, CCK!

That's a great way to look, at this situation!

The silver lining may be that IF the oil hits our beaches, there will be thousands of volunteers and paid contractors coming down to help and possibly make up for the lack of tourists.

I agree with everything here. We will be offering a locals discount at Beach Geeks starting later this week. This is going to be a difficult trying time, but we can pull through this. We just have to be here for each other, and support each other.

An easy way to help local businesses but not spend more (since many of us are likewise strapped for funds) is to use cash instead of a credit or debit card - the credit card company's cut adds up fast!