anxious to come back, Stebenne says, and
she’s ready for them.
“I’m thrilled the motels are still open
and have been open. And we are taking
extra precautions, we are sanitizing, we
are wearing masks,” she says. “Everybody’s
down here working on their businesses
as if nothing has happened. We’re
all trying to keep a positive attitude that
summer will go on as it always has.”
A short way down Atlantic Avenue,
Atlantic Beach Park’s Charles Trefes is
putting pen to paper. He has about
$150,000 in annual insurance premiums
and employs 140 people in a good year.
This year, he knows, will not be a good
one. He’s just wondering how long he can
get by on limited-capacity dining, and
what it means for his business model.
There are still many unknowns: Will
there be amusement rides? Nightlife?
Will the carousel spin?
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“You get hit by a
storm, you rebuild.
With this, there’s
no rebuilding.”
“I’m third generation. I’d love to see my
daughter take over the place. I’m fighting
for her,” Trefes, who also serves as president
of the MBA, says. “You get hit by a
storm, you rebuild. With this, there’s no
rebuilding. This is a whole new storm.”
Trefes and his partner, Amy, are trying
to stay positive. After a decade together
— Amy likes to say she fell in love with the
man and the place at the same time — the
pair got married on Atlantic Beach in late
April. They’d hoped to wed on somebody
else’s beach in Key West, but COVID-19
foiled those plans, too. They found a way
then, Trefes says, and they will now.
“One thing about the hospitality
industry: We’re nothing if not creative.
We’ve never sat on our laurels,” he says.
“If you’re not evolving in this business,
you’re falling behind.”
Trefes says his future is uncertain, just
like everybody else’s. And he hates the
term “the new normal.” Nothing about
this, he says, is normal. But one thing’s
for sure. Misquamicut is a resilient place,
and it always has been. It’s the Ocean
State in miniature: strong, scrappy,
resourceful. And it’s not going down
without a fight. �
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947 Veterans Memorial Parkway
East Providence, RI 02915
401-434-8377
www.squantumassociation.com
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RHODE ISLAND MONTHLY l JULY 2020 93