Song of the Sea’s storefront is located on the lower level of Bay Village, with frontage on the heavily traveled New Jersey road called Long Beach Island Boulevard — a spot that offers high visibility. This was the first stop on my tour of the retail shops at Bay Village, and where I had the pleasure of meeting with Debbie Mozer, owner of Song of the Sea. She purchased the store about 10 years ago, but in total this shop has been operating for more than 32 years. 

The store features a prominent display of Primitives by Kathy socks at the front of the store as shoppers enter. “We don’t have a crystal ball but know your clientele. We have our homeowners looking for décor pre-season and after, so we try to stock for them and then we purchase all the touristy treasures for our summer customers,” Mozer noted.

Mozer typically attends Atlanta Market to source merchandise. “I usually pre-order in January to put a placeholder for spring deliver,” she said. Top-sellers include signs, mugs, dish towels, socks and soaps. About 95% of the mugs are produced by Song of the Sea and the rest is purchased through outside vendors.

Her favorite part about running the business is “all the people…they are usually on vacation and just happy!”