An Atlantic Bubble Summer
By The Store Team
Well, that was a summer none of us will forget. Not because of the crowds — there weren't many — but because of what it felt like to have the Island almost entirely to ourselves.
When the Atlantic Bubble opened on July 3rd, it meant folks from Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, and Newfoundland could travel freely between the four provinces without quarantine. For PEI, it was a lifeline. Not the usual flood of tourists from Ontario and the States, but something different — Maritimers visiting Maritimers. Families from Halifax driving over the Confederation Bridge for a long weekend. New Brunswickers renting cottages they'd never bothered to book before. It felt right.
The harbour in North Rustico was quieter than anyone can remember. No big tour buses, no lineups at every restaurant. The lobster boats were still heading out in the mornings, the sunsets were still putting on a show, but the audience was smaller. A lot of Islanders told us they rediscovered their own backyard this summer — driving roads they hadn't taken in years, visiting beaches they'd forgotten about, eating at restaurants they'd always meant to try.
At the store, we were busy all summer. And we mean busy. It turns out that when people can't travel, they renovate. Decks got built. Rooms got painted. Sheds went up. Gardens got fenced. We went through more Beauti-Tone paint, more deck boards, and more fence posts than any summer we can remember. If you were one of the folks who tackled a project this year, you weren't alone.
PEI hit zero active COVID cases back in May, and that gave us all a bit of breathing room the rest of the country didn't have. We're grateful for that. We're grateful for Dr. Heather Morrison and the public health team who kept us safe. And we're grateful for every customer who came in wearing a mask, who stood patiently on the floor markers, and who treated our staff with kindness through all of it.
It wasn't a normal summer. But the community pulled together the way Island communities always do — quietly, stubbornly, and with a lot of generosity. We're heading into fall now, and whatever comes next, we'll handle it the same way.
Thanks for a good summer, everyone. We'll see you at the counter.