Businesses and tourists bewitched by the Sea Witch
Every October, tens of thousands of people flock to Rehoboth for a fall tradition — the Sea Witch Festival.
For local business owners, the Sea Witch Festival weekend is almost like another weekend of summer in terms of business.
"It's huge, to tell you the truth," said Diane Smith, the owner of Fractured Prune. "It brings a lot of people into town for the weekend."
Local businesses were hopeful for a great weekend after what was reported to be a mixed summer season at the Delaware beaches. The festival runs from Oct. 28-30 and will take over the entirety of downtown Rehoboth.
"All weekends in the fall are good if the weather is good but Sea Witch is really good," said Thomas Coffren, the general manager of the Candy Kitchen on the Rehoboth Boardwalk. "It doesn't push Fourth of July numbers, but it's the highest of the offseason and up there with the rest of the summer."
"We make sure all three of our Rehoboth locations are open because of all the business it brings into town," said Vinnie DiNatale, the director of marketing for Grotto Pizza. "It's not as busy as a typical summer weekend, but it is a boost in the offseason and is one of the biggest offseason weekends."
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Smith agreed with DiNatale. "It's just a tad bit slower than a summer weekend," she said.
Businesses, such as the Candy Kitchen, will double or triple the amount of staff on hand during the weekend to help serve the many visitors who flock to the town.
"Business is reliable for us even if the weather isn't good," Coffren said.
DiNatale also said Grotto takes measures to ensure the most amount of people are served.
"We make sure all of our locations in Rehoboth are open even if one would typically be closed right now," he said. "Our Rehoboth Avenue location is definitely our busiest, though."
Coffren said despite the free trick or treating which is a part of the festival, many people still line up to buy Candy Kitchen candy.
"We have to make sure our amount of inventory is higher," he said.
The Sea Witch Festival is put on by the Rehoboth Beach-Dewey Beach Chamber of Commerce.
"The Chamber does a great job to bring in business during the offseason," DiNatale said.
rghughes@dmg.gannett.com
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