Jersey Shore Boardwalk Businesses Try to Rebuild—Again

Bob Stewart has spent nearly half a century working on the boardwalk in South Jersey’s Seaside Heights and Seaside Park. Last October’s Hurricane Sandy wrecked his latest venture, the Carousel Arcade, exacting losses of around $1 million. Then, on Sept. 12, a massive fire demolished what he and dozens of other storefront owners had rebuilt. His 15-employee business had insurance on only $200,000 worth of equipment. Stewart, a local firefighter, says he was sick to his stomach when he was done battling the blaze: “I got physically ill thinking about the devastation.”

Two days after the fire, New Jersey Governor Chris Christie announced $15 million in aid for stricken businesses. That day, Stewart says, he spoke to Christie at a meeting at the local courthouse, asking him, “Governor, are you going to shake the tree and let the money loose? Is it going to be a year before we see money? Because in a year from now, I’m going to lose my house. I’m going to lose everything.”