Is Shore economy bucking the tide?

"People are looking for places that are easy to get to and that they have some connection with," Steele said. And it doesn't hurt that "we're a tank of gas away from a third of the entire U.S. population."

With fuel below $2 a gallon, she said, "I think those day-trippers we lost last year when it was $4 will be back."

Despite such optimism, business owners say turning a profit will take savvy.

They will "be looking at ways to cut costs any way they can," said Drew Johnson, who hasn't picked a name yet for the cafe-bookstore he's opening with his wife in Sea Isle. "We know we have to do more with less."

Johnson had to close a store he had operated on the Ocean City boardwalk for five years. Sales of T-shirts and other souvenirs were down so much in 2008, he couldn't see reopening. But even he is upbeat.

"You really can't go by what you see on CNN or CNBC or any of the national reports," he said. "I've been around this area long enough to know this is a unique market. And I'm going to stick with it as long as I can."

Contact staff writer Jacqueline L. Urgo at 609-823-9629 or jurgo@phillynews.com.