BOOTHBAY HARBOR, Maine — Tall ships drew a crowd to the harbor Thursday morning, as the big schooners Spirit of Bermuda and Lynx tied up for the weekend, to help kick off Boothbay Harbor’s Windjammer Days festival—the first festival since the COVID pandemic hit last year.
Local businesses say there have been a lot of tourists in town much of the spring, and business has been good.
“We're seeing numbers right now we normally see in July and August, and it's crazy,” said Julie Roberts, owner of Coastal Maine Popcorn and a board member of the local Chamber of Commerce.
The tourists may be coming, but summer workers are not. Like most other parts of Maine, especially tourist communities, Boothbay and Boothbay Harbor are dealing with a significant labor shortage.
At the Gimbel family’s four gift shops, the owners say applications for summer work have been few. They have been able to add a few people to the regular staff but nowhere near enough.
“Business is good, don’t get me wrong, and we will be over the numbers from 2019,” co-owner Mark Gimbel said.
But then he said the lack of staff has forced them to cut back business hours for the first time in memory.
"We are open seven days a week but only open 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. We are normally open 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. That's differential, that’s 28 hours (per week) not open."
He said a number of other retailers are also cutting hours. Restaurants are being forced to do the same thing.
At Kaler’s Restaurant, a longtime family business, owners Maddie and Sam Kaler said they have about half the number of workers they normally would, so they have made significant changes.
The restaurant has dropped table service and shifted to a counter service model, with diners seating themselves at picnic tables. They have also shortened the hours.
“We’re trying noon to eight to see if that will work,” Maddie said as they prepped for opening. “But we have people knocking on the door at 11:15.”
They say some other restaurants are also doing shorter days or even closing a day or two a week.
At least two have not opened at all, because of their inability this year to bring in foreign J-1 visa workers, upon whom they have come to depend in recent years.
The Chamber of Commerce sponsored a job fair last week to try to help the labor shortage, but Chamber leaders say fewer than 20 people showed up to look for work.
At Coastal Maine Popcorn, Julie Roberts does have a full staff and full hours but said she knows many others are having a struggle because of the shortage.
“As a community, I think we’re figuring out how to make it work, and how to be supportive of each other,” Roberts said.
She also echoed the opinions voiced by several others that part of the reason for the labor shortage is the extended bonus unemployment benefits. She also said many businesses object to the hiring incentive, recently announced by the state, for those who do take jobs this month and next.
“Because if people have to be bribed with extra money, what’s their work ethic? Do you really want to take those folks on?”
But, those concerns aside, she also agreed those new workers are needed.
Sam Kaler is trying to remain positive. He said despite all these problems and labor shortages, this year is still looking a whole lot better than the last one.
“We’re open, and that’s the best part. After a year off it's nice to be open again.”