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Stocking up on Snickers and apple pie as Martha's Vineyard braces for Earl

Print | Comments () Posted by Michael Paulson September 3, 2010 07:03 AM

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By Maria Cramer, Globe Staff

OAK BLUFFS -- Along Ocean Avenue in Oak Bluffs late Thursday afternoon, people relaxed on their porches, sipping glasses of wine and gin and tonic as they looked at the calm sea.

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Dogs romped on front yards and couples walked aimlessly licking ice cream.

But throughout Martha's Vineyard, there were signs of worry about the approaching storm.

Nancy Shai, owner of Vineyard Jewelry on Oak Bluffs Avenue, helped her boyfriend take down the hanging signs outside her shop and her daughter's store next door.

"The police came by and said everybody should take their signs down," she said. "They can be projectiles."

Shai, who has been in Oak Bluffs for 13 years, looked inside her store at the delicate beaded necklaces and metal earrings.

"I might come in early and take everything out of the window and put it in a safe," she said. "I feel like everybody's panicking. There hasn't been anything like this since Hurricane Bob."

Other businesses tried to capitalize on the coming storm.

Retail shops displayed rain jackets for sale on the sidewalk.

The Lampost, a tavern on Circuit Avenue, invited passerbys to come in for cocktails like "Dark 'n' Stormy" and "Hurricanes."

"You will be blown away," the sign promised.

Business owners would have limited time to cater to customers.

Police in Oak Bluffs ordered retailers and restaurant owners to close their businesses by 2 p.m. when the roads also would be shut down to drivers.

But late Thursday afternoon, grocery shops and package stores were teeming with customers.

At Stop and Shop in Edgartown, drivers fought for parking spots.

Lem and Pat Evans, a couple visiting from Las Vegas, walked out with three bulging bags of groceries.

They had basics like bottled water and peanut butter, but they also loaded up on more fun items.

"Snickers," Pat Evans, a 65-year-old retired academic, said laughing. "As long as I have Snickers, ice cream and fried chicken, I'm good."

Lem, her husband, bought apple pie.