By Julia Train
Summer is synonymous with beach trips, yet the preparation for a relaxing day by the sea often proves to be far from relaxing.
You have to lug a cooler, umbrella, chairs, toys and more all while sweating from the blazing sun and stressing about whether or not your kids are still by your side.
Beach Caddy offers services that can help you out, whether it’s for a day at the beach or a weeklong stay.
Just as its name implies, Beach Caddy will carry all your stuff. Whether it is moving it in and out of your rental unit, or picking up your belongings and setting them up on the beach for you every day. You can also choose to add a Cool Cabana rental or rent a beach wagon to haul it yourself.
The Ocean City-based business is owned by three Pennsylvanian educators– Laura and Jeff Yeakel, Danielle Pizza and Rhiannon and Todd Serpico– and is celebrating its 10th season.
The idea for Beach Caddy came one night as the Serpicos and their neighbors, the Pizzas, were having dinner. They were throwing out business ideas and Danielle said, “What about an idea of a beach service? And how much would you pay for someone to help you at the beach?”
That discussion prompted them to begin asking people and local businesses if they’ve heard of a service that and if they’d use it if it was available.
All the positive feedback they received led them to pursue the venture. They chose to base the business out of Ocean City because it’s where they spend most of their time in the summer.
After jumping a few hurdles as they were trying to get their mercantile license in Ocean City, the business finally was founded in 2015. During their first season, they completed 300 jobs and 800 the second in Ocean City.
In 2017, the business expanded to cover Sea Isle, Avalon and Stone Harbor. This year, they added Wildwood, Longport, Margate and Ventnor.
While Beach Caddy does offer three services, they vary per town. All three are offered for those staying in Ocean City and Sea Isle.
In Ventnor, Longport and Margate, the bellhop and beach setup services are available, but the bellhop service is the only one that can be purchased for stays in Avalon, Stone Harbor and Wildwood.
There are 15 staff members right now, some located in each shore town, including one who has been with the business since the start.
While Beach Caddy was originally thought of to help vacationers enjoy their stay, it has also been of assistance to year-round residents.
They’ve found that there are a lot of locals who have chronic conditions, an injury or anything else that may hinder one from being able to get to the beach with their gear. They often assists senior citizens who have grandkids visiting and need help bringing everything to the beach or carrying things up the steps when they arrive.
“We typically help people that are on a vacation for the week, but we also help locals who need a hand,” said Serpico. “We’re educators so we use that mindset as teachers to help people overcome whatever their barriers to the beach may be.”
If you would like more information about their services, check out their website: www.beachcaddy.app
Julia is a student at Rider University, majoring in multiplatform journalism with a minor in social media strategies. At school, she writes and is news editor for The Rider News and is the News Director for the radio station, producing news updates. She’ll be graduating in the spring. Connect with her on Instagram @juliatrain
