Island businesses that struggled to keep their doors open during the summer of 2020 had to face different challenges this past season, such as a major staffing shortage and a constantly changing public health landscape related to the COVID Delta variant.
“It’s safe to say it was a really challenging and strange summer, but very robust,” Nancy Gardella, executive director of the Martha’s Vineyard Chamber of Commerce, told The Times.
For Island businesses, particularly retail, restaurants, hotels, and other elements of the bustling service and hospitality industry, it was a very different summer from the one prior.
Gardella noted that the Island had an unprecedentedly busy summer, and lots of people were spending money, where they weren’t during the summer COVID hit.
“And yet, of course, our businesses really struggled with the fact that it was so hard to get and keep their staff,” she said. “It was really a complete…
