STURGEON BAY, Wis. — There was a steady flow of customers in Kick Coffee late Tuesday morning — the hangover of a busy Memorial Day weekend.
“It was crazy in here. We had four people working behind the bar and basically a line to the door throughout the entire day,” said assistant manager Jordan Lenius. “It was, honesty, probably one of the best weekends we’ve had.”
A strong Memorial Day weekend bodes well for tourism in both Door County and around Wisconsin after 2020 put a roughly 28 percent dent into statewide visitor spending.
“I knew it was going to be busy because it’s Memorial Day in Door County, but I think it definitely exceeded expectations,” Lenius said.
Expectations for summer 2021 have been optimistic with many suggesting a pent up desire to travel, coupled with an easing pandemic, have people getting in cars and hopping on airplanes for overdue vacations.
While hard numbers aren’t yet available, Jon Jarosh with Destination Door Country said the anecdotal data points to a good weekend — a potential indicator for the rest of the summer.
“I think it sets a great tone in terms of business activity,” he said. “Certainly our business community and our tourism sector here in Door County are very much looking forward to a robust season, and I think we’re going to get one.”
That uptick isn’t limited to just Door County.
“This year is certainly going to be important to the recovery efforts for our tourism industry, not only in Door County, but because of where we’re located in Wisconsin, all the feeder markets people are going to be traveling through to get here,” Jarosh said.
Back at Kick, Lenius said the recent activity is another sign of a steady return of business and for what the summer may bring.
“We’ve had busy weekends since the end of March,” he said. “I have very high expectations of seeing a lot of general foot traffic, especially on the weekends if not through the week, all through the summer.”