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A Magical Island Kingdom ™ |
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The Cadillac Caravan
A 32-month Odyssey along the Gulf Coast and through the Lowcountry. Was it a choice, or the pull of our Destiny? Illinois
Jackie was born in Rock Island, IL, and David was born later that same year in Chicago, IL. After growing up in their respective areas of the state, and graduation from high school, she attended Illinois State University in Bloomington-Normal, IL; he went to the University of Illinois in nearby Champaign- Urbana. Jackie visited Champaign-Urbana several times, while attending ISU, and may have been at the same places or events, at the same time as David; but they did not meet. Destiny was operating, but the time was not right! After graduation, Jackie went back to Rock Island, but a couple of years later, moved to Norfolk, VA where she experienced "The South" for the first time. After David's last final exam, he packed his car and moved to Phoenix. He vowed NEVER to suffer through another Illinois Winter! Even the weeks of overcast in his home state were enough to drive someone crazy! It was time for sun, blue skies and warmth! Phoenix
After a few years in Norfolk, Jackie moved to Phoenix, but it was another three years before the two refugees from Illinois met in the desert oasis. Finally, the time was right! We met in 1982, a relationship formed quickly, and by 1988, we were married! By this time, each of us had developed our own businesses! David was involved in a commodity-trading business, with his partner, and Jackie created her own Cognitive-Training business. After months of long work hours, often six and seven days a week, we looked forward to short vacations in San Diego, to be at the beach, and "on the water". We were beginning to miss the water more and more, living in the desert, but we certainly did not want to return to the miserable weather of the Midwest. After a few years of beach vacations in San Diego, we decided that we needed a change; a different beach; a different place on the water, so David started searching. The
"Accident"
One day, while looking through some material at the Phoenix Library, a momentous "Accident" occurred! David stumbled upon a book about the 1900 Hurricane that destroyed much of Galveston, TX. The site of America's worst natural disaster is not necessarily a great place to vacation; but he was DRAWN to the Galveston for some mysterious reason! David began to read more and more about this island city, and after a short time had convinced Jackie that it should be the site of our next vacation.   Isaac's Storm Click Pic for Info $10.78 Galveston Our first short vacation, in Galveston, was in the middle of May 1990; and it was fraught with problems, especially the accommodations, but Galveston was clearly NOT another "Western" town, like Phoenix or San Diego; just on the beach. Galveston was not Western at all; it was Southern! It had the charm and graciousness of Southern cities, it was on an island with great beaches, and it had an active harbor with a lot a ship traffic! Unlike the cold Pacific Ocean in San Diego, the water in The Gulf of Mexico was warm, which is why it brought the danger of hurricanes. Galveston also had an active Nineteenth-Century downtown area, adjacent to the harbor, and large residential districts filled with hundreds of Nineteenth-Century homes. Quite a contrast to the hectic Twentieth-Century life in Southern California. This was THE PLACE to vacation!   The Galveston That Was Click Pic for Info $31.47 The
"Real World"
After our first experience in Galveston, it was back to Phoenix, and the reality of making a living. Working and living in Phoenix was a good life, BUT we were working too hard, for too many hours, and when we took time off, what was there to do? Phoenix has some of the best weather in the country, but it was becoming much too big, and it did not offer the same activities that were available in Galveston. We tried short trips to the mountains, north of Phoenix, but it wasn't nearly the same thing! We weren't back to our "Lives" very long before we were planning our next trip to "The Island"! Return
Engagements
Over the next seven years, vacations to Galveston became longer and more frequent, until we were finally able to spend two one-month periods there in one year. One of our favorite places, on The Island, was The Baja Beach Club, a tacky little joint on the Ship Channel into Galveston Bay. We would sit outside at this bar for hours discussing whether we should stop just visiting, and move to Galveston, and how nice it would be to own The Baja; a bar with a great location "on the water"! Since The Baja was not for sale, maybe we could find another "bar on the water". We liked the idea of a Bar & Grill on the water because Jackie could create many of her culinary specialties, in the grill, and we could design it to create the type of atmosphere where people would enjoy gathering to spend time together, and watching the ships sail by. We also wanted to offer live music, by local bands, to make the ambiance complete. Good food, good drinks, good people, live music, on the water, and active ship traffic! The perfect place! Of course there were a lot of "what ifs". What if we don't like the high humidity and more variable weather than we were used to in Phoenix. After all, it actually gets pretty cold in Galveston during the Winter. What if we couldn't re-establish our businesses in Galveston; what would we do to make a living? Burn
Out
By the middle of 1997, we were both becoming burned out with our businesses, our work schedules and living in Phoenix. David went through something of a philosophical crisis/revelation, and began writing a book on how we should change our lives. The fundamental concept of his book, "Life in the Current", was that we had to begin Living in the Present Moment, and give up our Goals, which force us to focus all of our attention on the Future. Living for the Future, interferes with our enjoyment of the Present.   The Path Click Pic for Info $10.74   The Good Life Click Pic for Info $9.75 Many discussions ensued on what we needed to change in our lives. Jackie was ready to give up her successful business, and find something else to do, and David was ready to leave Phoenix, but he wasn't sure whether Galveston was their best choice. Because of the time we had spent in Galveston, we both agreed that we liked being on the ocean, but someplace in The South; not on The West or Northeast Coast. We loved Galveston, but we hadn't seen the other possibilities.   Life 2.0 Click Pic for Info $10.74 "I have a GREAT IDEA"! Sometime in early 1999, David had an idea. Why not spend a month or two in a series of towns along The Northern Gulf Coast, and The Southeast Atlantic Coast that fit the criteria that we were looking for in a new place to live. We could rent fully-furnished condos, like we had in Galveston, which would allow us to put most of our possessions in storage, and just take along some personal items, and a small office set up, so that David could continue to work in his current business ventures, at each location. With the stops that he had in mind, this trip should take about 12-18 months, and when it was over, we would return to Phoenix, collect our possessions, and move to the city that we thought was our best choice.   The 50 Best Small Southern Towns Click Pic for Info $11.02 We could take 8-10 weeks to just visit each of these cites, but that would not be the same thing as living and working in each of them, so it would be much more difficult to determine whether we would like to live in any of them.   The Rise of the Creative Class Click Pic for Info $10.74 Jackie had already decided that she wanted to get into the Arts & Crafts business, in some way, so she was beginning to produce her own creations, and hoped to sell them along the way. She also thought that she would get various part-time jobs to experience other possibilities. By this time, David was also involved in a new design business with his partner, in the commodity-trading business. While David would continue to pursue his current business activities, and Jackie would do Arts & Crafts and look for part-time jobs; we also hoped to discover some new business venture that we could do together. Finding a "Bar & Grill on the Water" was at the top of our list.   How to Find Your Mission in Life Click Pic for Info $7.95 Preparations After disposing of many of our personal and business possessions, and storing many others, it became clear that we needed to take more things with us than would fit into our two 1979 Cadillacs. They are large vehicles, but they wouldn't hold everything that we needed; especially the larger business equipment. We added a trailer hitch to the Fleetwood, and with a 5' x 8' U-Haul Trailer, we just barely had the capacity we needed. Craft Mall
Even as preparations were under way to leave Phoenix, Jackie discovered a Coomer's Craft Mall in the Northwest part of the City, and she decided to sell some of her creations there. She set up her booth and stocked it with inventory, and her sisters agreed to "manage" it for her in her absence. As things sold, she would make more, and ship them to her sisters for re-stocking. This seemed like a great way to start selling her crafts! eBay
Shortly after that, David read an article in The Wall Street Journal describing the success that a couple, in Nebraska, were having selling things on a new Internet service known as eBay. He shared it with Jackie, and it became the topic of a lively discussion with everyone at 1999's Easter Brunch. We all thought that it was an intriguing idea, but it was soon forgotten. The Craft Mall made more sense at the time. For eBay; the time wasn't right! Explain Yourself
In early June 1999, right before the combined going-away, and birthday party for David, we sent out a "Press Release" to all of our friends, and family which tried to explain exactly what we were going to do, and why we had decided to do it. Many people believed that we were crazy, but others thought it sounded exciting! It certainly was something that no one, we knew, had done before! A Legend is
born!
We left Phoenix early on the morning of 10 September 1999. David piloted the 1979 Fleetwood in the lead position. This vehicle had hundreds of pounds of our possessions crammed into the back seat, front seat, the trunk and up on the back deck. With several hundred more pounds of stuff in the 5' x 8' U-Haul Trailer, that it was towing, the bumper barely cleared the pavement, and it scraped every time we drove into a dip, or over a speed bump. Jackie followed closely behind in the 1979 Sedan DeVille. This vehicle was even more loaded than the Fleetwood! We communicated with each other using walkie-talkies, so that we could keep the two vehicles together, and discuss our travel itinerary, and other issues, as we drove. We quickly noted the interesting image that the two vehicles formed, traveling along in single file like we did, and we began referring to it as our convoy or caravan. The Cadillac
Caravan
By the second day, Jackie had coined the term "Cadillac Caravan". This is what we would call this entire adventure that we had just begun; our CADILLAC CARAVAN, through The South!! This is what it looked like
when
we would stop at a rest area:   New Orleans, LA (70123) 5203 Citrus Boulevard, N-107 10 September 1999 to 31 December 1999 We had done some preliminary research on a place to live, at our first stop, before we left Phoenix, but after a few days "on the ground" in New Orleans, it became obvious that it was going to be very difficult to find nice, affordable places to live for only 1-2 month stays, in most cities. Realizing that our initial plan was now inoperable, we signed a 4-month lease on an apartment, and rented furniture. New Orleans is a fabulous city. It truly is the "Queen of the South". The Mississippi River, as it flows by New Orleans, is like no other river in America! The French Quarter is a jewel of America's history, and the music scene on Bourbon Street presents a variety of live music that is amazing! There are also many fascinating areas in the region around the Big Easy. We especially liked Plantation Country, up river from the City.   New Orleans: Elegance and Decadence Click Pic for Info $19.99 While we were in New Orleans we discovered the motto for the City: "Laissez Le Bon Temps Rouler"!! Translated from the French it means, "Let the Good Times Roll!!" We instantly adopted it as the official motto of the Cadillac Caravan! While we were living in New Orleans, David concentrated on his commodity-trading business, starting a major research project on selling naked options. The rest of his work was focused on the new design business that had just begun the year before.   Recipes and Reminisences of New Orleans Volume II Click Pic for Info $10.00 Jackie was working on perfecting her Arts & Crafts while she monitored sales at Coomers, in Phoenix. She opened up a display in a local craft mall where her things sold better than those in Coomers, but it was pretty slow, too. She also became interested in the Flea Market circuit since many of the Craft Fairs seemed to be wildly overpriced for what they offered. We even got the necessary licenses to sell in the French-Quarter Flea Market, but somehow never got around to actually doing it.   New Orleans: Then and Now Click Pic for Info $25.17 The Cadillac Caravan Chronicles While we were in New Orleans, David began to send out newsletters, by email, to all of our friends and family members telling them about our adventures. The newsletter was called "The Cadillac Caravan Chronicles", and it became very popular with a growing circle of readers across the country as our journey continued. The Chronicles made us into minor folk heroes or cult personalities with the readers, and the word about our adventures began to spread. There have been many requests to compile them into a book, which, hopefully, will happen someday soon! The
Transformation
By the time that we were ready to leave New Orleans, Jackie had re-discovered the connection with The South that she had developed during her years in Norfolk, VA, and she was thoroughly convinced that she was and must be a Southerner for the rest of her life; so Jackie became Miss Jacquelyn. The Next
Rotation
When you are going to move every three or four months, you are forced to begin looking for next place to live not long after you settle in to your current home. We would start with Internet searches, phone calls, and then by visiting the next place we had in mind to see for ourselves, and to meet the people who had places for rent. We called each of these moves a Rotation! The next Rotation after New Orleans was targeted for the Mississippi Gulf Coast. We began the search in November, and quickly began driving over to see what was available. Since New Orleans is not on The Gulf, we were anxious to get back to beach! After an extensive search, we signed a 4-month lease on a beach house in Waveland, MS. Waveland, MS
(39576)
815 North Beach Boulevard 01 January 2000 to 30 April 2000 Waveland is just down the coast from its better known neighbors, Gulfport and Biloxi. We enjoyed spending this time on the beach, and we took advantage of the entertainment offered by all the new casinos that had sprung up on the Mississippi Coast. Waveland and Bay St. Louis are nice little beach towns, although there are much better beaches, other places along the Gulf Coast. Except for a few impressive ante-bellum homes on the beach front in Bay St. Louis and Pass Christian, the Mississippi Coast had little of the flavor of the Old South that we were looking for, so it was not a place that we would seriously consider living.   The Majesty of Eastern Mississippi and the Coast Click pic for Info $12.32 During the Waveland months, Miss Jacquelyn placed some of her crafts in a local Craft Mall, and continued the Coomers display in Phoenix. The local place did not show much promise, and Coomers continued to be a disappointment compared to its touted potential. At this point, she decided to shift her focus away from Craft Malls and give the Flea Markets a try. We participated in several sales at the Pass Christian Flea Market, with some limited success; but it was very cold for most of them. We assumed that we would do much better in nicer weather. We also had the opportunity to look at our first Bar & Grill on the water, that was for sale; just north of Waveland. Based on the terms, it was doable, but it wasn't the right location. We also began to seriously question whether or not we would really want the hours and hassles that a Bar & Grill would require.   Encore! Encore! A Sequel to "Cooking on the Sound" Click pic for Info $12.97 In addition to her craft work, Miss Jacquelyn got a job in a casino, where she had a lot of fun working as a hostess!   Mississippi Gulf Coast Scenes Click pic for Info $5.00 Fairhope, AL (36532) 752 Fairhope Avenue 01 May 2000 to 30 September 2000 Unless you are independently wealthy, you have to get off the beach in the summer, so our next rotation was to Fairhope, AL. Fairhope is a very nice bedroom community on the Eastern Shore of Mobile Bay, so it has become a suburb of Mobile. Our five months in Fairhope were very pleasant, and we enjoyed going down to the Fairhope Pier, on Mobile Bay, but it's not the same as being at the beach. Even though Fairhope is a nice small town, it has little Southern flavor to it, because the town wasn't even founded until the beginning of the Twentieth Century, and most of the buildings were built after W.W.II, so there is nothing in Fairhope from the Nineteenth Century.   Coasting: An Expanded Guide to the Northern Gulf Coast Click pic for Info $15.95 By the time of the Fairhope Rotation, we had decided that the craft malls were not for us, so we tried the Mobile Flea Market, which was much bigger than the one in Pass Christian. Miss Jacquelyn liked the flea markets much better than craft malls, due to the interaction that she had with the customers, but after a couple of tries, we had doubts about flea markets, too. The fact that they are only held on weekends was also a major inconvenience if you work all week long, and want at least some of the weekend off.   Bay Tables: A Collection of fresh and fabulous recipes from the Junior League of Mobile Click Pic for Info $24.95 At this point, Miss Jacquelyn got a job at a successful gift shop in downtown Fairhope. After a couple of months, she began thinking that she would like to own a gift shop! With a shop, she could sell her own crafts, and other products, too, in a venue that made more sense than craft malls or flea markets. Thus began a long series of discussions on whether we should buy a gift shop, and if we did, where should it be located. The Fairhope months also gave us the opportunity to survey several more Bar & Grills on the Water, and to discuss this type of business venture further.  Man and Mission: E.B. Gaston and the Origins of the Fairhope Single Tax Colony Click Pic for Info $20.00 Orange Beach, AL (36561) 25360 Perdido Beach Boulevard, #503 01 October 2000 to 28 February 2001 With the Summer coming to an end, we had the opportunity to find a nice place on the beach for the Fall and Winter. After an exhaustive search, we were able to lease a 5th-floor condo in Orange Beach, AL which allowed us to avoid Florida's onerous hotel tax on rentals of less than seven months. Orange Beach is part of The Emerald Coast; a stretch of coastline with emerald-green waters and sugar-white sand in Alabama and the Florida Panhandle. It is a much more spectacular stretch of beach than the Mississippi Coast. Unfortunately, that Winter was very harsh, so we didn't get to spend much time on the beach, during the colder months. It looked nice out the window, though! Orange Beach was also the first time that we had a chance to experience much live music since living in New Orleans. The world-famous Flora-bama was just down the beach from our condo. This deliciously tacky beach bar straddles the Alabama-Florida state line, and has live music 365 days a year! The music usually starts in the afternoon and goes until the early morning, on several indoor and outdoor stages (in the warmer months). We spent many fun-filled hours at the Flora-bama!! Our time in Orange Beach, was a great off-season beach experience, like we had had in Mississippi, but there was even less real Southern flavor to the town. In fact, there was no real town, just a strip of condos and beach houses on the beach. We wouldn't want to live in Orange Beach on a more permanent basis, either. Since Miss Jacquelyn had left craft malls and flea markets behind, and was focused on the idea of a gift shop, she wanted to find another job in a gift shop, to learn more about the business. Nearby Gulf Shores offered the opportunity, and she was able to learn about gift baskets and "fancy foods" during this work experience. The idea of a shop that would bring together fancy foods and gifts began to make a lot of sense! This would combine her two major interests.   The Barefoot Fisherman's Guide to the Emerald Coast Click Pic for Info $10.95 Bradenton, FL
(34210)
4232 53rd Avenue West 01 March 2001 to 31 May 2001 After our second bitterly cold Winter on the Northern Gulf Coast, David decided that we had to investigate places to live in Southwest Florida. You have to be south of Tampa to avoid a harsh Winter, at least by our standards. Initial searches on the Internet, and by phone, revealed a dearth of short-term rentals in this area. This was partly due to the hotel tax on rentals of less than seven months. We were finally able to locate one apartment in Bradenton, FL. This was the first place that we rented without an on-site visit. We sent them a check and hoped for the best! This detour, from our original list of cities, took us just south of Tampa. Most of Florida was not even settled in the Nineteenth Century, so it is difficult to find any real historical sections in Southwest Florida towns. Bradenton had a few "vintage" areas, but we were there for the warm weather, so that issue became secondary. Southwest Florida is part of The South, but you aren't going to be surrounded by any history, to speak of. We liked Bradenton, more than we thought that we would, and it was nice to get out to the beach in warm weather again. We especially liked Bradenton's barrier island, Anna Maria Island, and would definitely consider living there on a longer-term basis for the beach and warmer climate, rather than on the Northern Gulf Coast. Our stay in Bradenton also convinced us that we should seriously consider Southwest Florida, as a place to live, so we decided to stay longer, to be sure. Our time in Bradenton was too short to do much about pursuing new business ventures, although we did explore a few B & G s on the water, including a very large property that was for sale for over $1 million. However, it was at this point that David raised the issue of eBay again for the first time since Easter of 1999. However, Miss Jacquelyn was still not interested. The time was not right, again.  The Insider's Guide to Sarasota & Bradenton Click Pic for Info $7.61 Venice, FL
(34292)
770 Village Circle, #132 01 June 2001 to 31 December 2001 We couldn't find a place to extend our stay in Bradenton, so we searched the coastline from St. Petersburg to Naples, and eventually found the right situation in Venice, FL. Venice is an interesting town, south of Sarasota, that was started from scratch by a railroad union in the 1920s, as a vacation resort for its members, and a place where they could retire in a warm climate. They wanted a planned and controlled community. After four months of living on the beach in Waveland, and another five months in Orange Beach, we had decided that we didn't need to live right on the beach anymore. It is nice, but it is not necessary as long as we live somewhere where we can get to the beach at least once or twice a week without a long drive, or a lot of hassle. In Venice, we selected a nice condo on a golf course. This gave us a large green space, as a view, and we were only ten minutes from the beach. We spent many enjoyable hours at the beach, during our seven months in Venice, but it would have been more fun if there was a little more commercial development on the beach. Venice has become a retirement town, with a majority of its population over 65. They don't want Bar & Grills on the Water, with music, or other establishments that attract young people. With this attitude, after awhile, Venice becomes rather controlling and dull! However, since we were still interested in living in Southwest Florida, we spent many hours exploring other towns that were more to our liking. Cape Coral had some very affordable housing, and miles of canals to the Gulf. Fort Myers Beach was the exact opposite of Venice; a place for young people to enjoy Bar & Grills on the Water, with plenty of live music. However, if we were to return to live in Southwest Florida, Ana Maria Island would probably be our first choice. The City Planners in Venice did create a nice downtown area that is filled with specialty shops, that draw people from all over Southwest Florida. If we wanted to own a gift shop, in this area; downtown Venice would be the place! With this in mind, Miss Jacquelyn got a job at the best shop on Venice Avenue. Here she learned even more about this type of business venture, but by the end of her tenure, she was questioning whether this would be the right choice for us. Did we want to invest the amount of money that it would require, pay the high overhead, put in long hours, with little time off; and be forced to deal with employees. Those were the key questions! Edisto Island, SC (29438) 222 Sea Cloud Circle 01 January 2002 to 30 April 2002 As our time in Venice was drawing to a close, our plan for a 12-18 month Cadillac Caravan had already lasted 28 months, and we had not even started on the Southeast Atlantic Coast!! This triggered a discussion over whether we should skip this section of the South all together, or begin a series of 3-4 month Rotations that would take us from Jacksonville, FL to the coastal areas of Georgia, South Carolina and North Carolina.   Charleston Entertains Season by Season Click Pic for Info $29.95 If we stuck to the original list, The Caravan could last as long as another 24 months!! We agreed that we loved the adventure and the experience that The Caravan had given us, but we were getting tired of searching for places to live, packing, moving, and unpacking. We didn't want to go through that 5 or 6 more times. We loved the Gulf Coast, so we had plenty of choices there, already, but we might be missing something important if we skipped this section of The South entirely.   Charleston, South Carolina A Photographic Portrait Click Pic for Info $15.72 After much further discussion, we decided that we should do one more 4-month Rotation in Charleston, SC. It was more or less in the middle of the area that we were interested in, so we could use it as a base to explore the whole area. Our initial searches by Internet and phone were frustrating. We tried to find off-season rentals near, not on, the beach, but were quoted outrageous prices.
Finally, a private listing on the Internet turned up a very small condo in a place called Edisto Island, SC; 50 miles south of Charleston! We took it, sight unseen! It was so small that we had to rent a storage room for the first time, and we were very cozy! But at least it was on a golf course, which gave us a large green space again.   Complete Charleston Click Pic for Info $19.95 Edisto is a very remote, lightly developed stretch of beach. It is miles from most of the stores that you come to depend on, so we wouldn't choose a place like this to live! It is beautiful if you want remote, but it is not convenient if you are trying to work and live there; not just vacation.   South Carolina's Lowcountry Click Pic for Info $15.74 However, it did provide the perfect base camp to explore The Lowcountry. The Lowcountry runs from about Savannah, GA, in the south through Hilton Head, SC and Beaufort, SC, and up to Charleston, SC on the north end. The Lowcountry is a beautiful stretch of coastline that is much different than the Gulf Coast! It is made up of hundreds of extremely fertile Sea Islands that are surrounded by rich tidal marshes consisting of Pluff mud. The Sea Islands once grew the best Cotton in the world, and now grow a variety of other crops, where they have not been turned into beach resorts and golf courses.   Beaufort, South Carolina: A History Click Pic for Info $24.99 Our experiences in The Lowcountry were unforgettable! Savannah with its unique squares and river front, Hilton Head with the great beaches and posh homes, Beaufort a picturesque small Southern town, where many movies have been filmed, and Charleston the oldest and stateliest city in the Southeast, with a great harbor and colonial neighborhoods, were wonders to explore! There is no lack of Southern history or ambiance in The Lowcountry, which was missing in Waveland, Fairhope, Orange Beach, Bradenton, and Venice. It is the real thing, you can't get any better than that, except in a place like New Orleans!   The National Trust Guide to Savannah Click pic for Info $15.72 With all of the traveling that we did during this Rotation, there was little time to explore anything new with regard to the Arts & Crafts business and gift shops, until an Unexpected Catalyst took place in April!   Savoring Savannah Click pic for Info $13.57 The BIG
DECISION!
While we were busy exploring The Lowcountry, we also had to make a decision about what to do after we left at the end of April. The first part was easy; The Caravan definitely would end when this Rotation was over. It had run its course. We also did not really consider going back to live in Phoenix; so where would we move? We decided that we would be comfortable living in New Orleans, Southwest Florida, and The Lowcountry; most probably Charleston, Savannah or Beaufort. However, after 32 months of comparing all of these places to Galveston, Galveston still offered a unique combination of things that we were looking for to make a location our HOME! All of the other places had some characteristics that were superior to Galveston's, but it was the overall package that made The Island our final choice! (For all the details on how we made The BIG DECISION; Click Here )   Galveston: A History Click Pic for Info $12.97 This decision resurrected the discussion about owning a gift shop all over again. There are many specialty shops in the Nineteenth-Century section of downtown Galveston known as "The Strand", so the possibility of owning a shop on The Strand had always occurred to us as we considered this type of business venture. The Strand is primarily a tourist destination, so the number of tourists visiting Galveston each year would be a key element in reaching this decision. David contacted the Galveston Convention and Visitors Bureau to get some statistics. He was astounded to find that they didn't have any idea how many tourists they received on a yearly basis. The State of Texas had reliable occupancy figures on Island hotels and motels, but they showed high vacancy rates, even in the Summer High Season. This might be a problem!   Rare Collection: Superb Recipes by the Junior League of Galveston County Click Pic for Info $19.95 The
Unexpected
Catalyst!
At this point, David began sharing these statistics with his old friend Maui Bob, who had been studying tourism in Hawaii for about three years. After a little research, Bob concluded that there were some major opportunities available to use the Internet to stimulate more tourism in Galveston. After a couple of weeks of intense email discussions about what they could do on the Internet, David went to the Charleston Library to get some books on the subject. These books stated that it was now very easy and affordable to build your own web site. As he thought about how to do the Galveston tourism ventures, he reasoned that if we were finally going to get on the Internet, anyway, then why not do the shop, that we were discussing, on the Internet, too!! All of his reference books indicated that when small stores go on the Internet, many still put their products on the eBay auctions, too, as a way to drive customers to their store fronts. Then he remembered the 1999 article about eBay that he had shared with everyone that Easter. He KNEW that it was FINALLY time to get on eBay! It would be the first logical step onto the Internet! By now, Miss Jacquelyn had also concluded that the drawbacks of a traditional "Bricks and Mortar" store were too great, so she was ready to build a virtual store on eBay, too! No matter how far we had moved away from the eBay concept, from Easter of 1999 to Easter of 2002, we were right back there again! Was eBay part of our Destiny? If it was, was it only the first step to get us onto the Internet for other more exciting and complex projects? Wrapping It Up
With these new insights, we headed for Galveston on 29 April 2002. We wanted to find an historical house or a loft on The Strand, for our new home, but the Realtors that we spoke to from Edisto Island were very discouraging. They said that there was nothing available that would fit our needs. We had heard this before, on The Caravan, so after our arrival in Galveston, we spent several days pursuing every lead the Realtors could give us, but eventually, we started our own search. First, we walked every block of The Strand looking for lofts, and then we vowed to drive up and do | ||
