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W W W. M A I N E B I Z . B I Z 17 J U N E 2 9 , 2 0 2 0 H O S P I TA L I T Y / T O U R I S M A s of mid-June, bike rentals were more or less non-existent at the Bar Harbor Bicycle Shop. e year-round store, an institution started 42 years ago by brothers Joe and Al Minutolo, typically bustles in the summer with tourists aiming to rent bikes and explore Acadia National Park, which lies just a couple of blocks away. "We should be putting out a pretty good charge of units at this time of year," says Joe Minutolo, who is also a town councilor. "On Memorial Day weekend, we would have put out every- thing we've got. is Memorial Day weekend, I had one rental." Repairs are carrying the business this year. Sales demand is strong, but there's a worldwide shortage of bicycles. "Because of the pandemic, people decided, instead of taking mass transpor- tation, they'd buy a bicycle," Minutolo says. "And a lot of bike parts and bikes come from China, so there was a holdup on production. ere are also bicycles sit- ting on ships that can't get into port." ings are the same all over. "We have some people coming in. But it's nothing like it usually is at this time of year," says Todd Graham, general man- ager of the Acadia Corp., which owns gift shops in Bar Harbor. "e parking spots are empty. You'll see a couple of people walking in and out of the shops. But really, the sidewalks are empty." At Acadia Hotel and Ivy Manor Inn, over $1.7 million in reservations were can- celled as of mid-June. Co-owner Peter Hastings expects to make it through the year, thanks to cash reserves, a lean oper- ation and mortgage restructuring. Still, "It's scary to think that we won't see any income until October of 2021," he says. He adds, "But here's a bigger issue. People don't necessarily want to travel as much as they used to. And Bar Harbor, not being close to anywhere, becomes a little bit less of a desirable location." Brink of closing "Basically what we're seeing is not enough visitor traffic to make it worthwhile for most businesses to even open their doors," says Alf Anderson, executive director of the Bar Harbor Chamber of Commerce. "Many have done so. But I heard from a retailer this morning — they're down 89% compared with last year." Each year, Acadia National Park attracts as many as 3.5 million visi- tors, many of whom patronize Bar Harbor's amenities. But Bar Harbor faces the problem of being too remote for most day-trippers. It's 4 hours and 40 minutes from Boston and eight hours from New York City. e town and other Mount Desert Island com- munities depend on overnighters. Tourist interests say the state's latest reopening plan might benefit southern Maine, but testing requirements will stymie traffic to Bar Harbor. Hotels are seeing massive cancellations. Cruise ships, tour buses and the Island Explorer, a seasonal shuttle, aren't run- ning. Many businesses are on the brink of closing for the year; some don't know if they'll survive at all. P H O T O / L A U R I E S C H R E I B E R Bar Harbor BUST A popular tourist destination strategizes to survive B y l a u r i e s C h r e i B e r F O C U S Bar Harbor Bicycle Shop co-owner Joe Minutolo says lack of visitors caused rentals to plummet. Demand for new-bike sales are up, but they're hard to come by due to a worldwide shortage. C O N T I N U E D O N F O L L OW I N G PA G E »

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