Thank You For A Great 2012!

Thank you for vacationing with us in 2012.  We hope we enhanced your Jersey Shore vacation with our premium rental items and services.   

The past year was very memorable.  These images include just a few of our favorite memories of 2012.

We are happy to kick of the New Year with a 10% discount.  This offer applies to rental items reserved online (over $50) between December 31st and March 1st.   Please use code "NEWYEAR" when placing an order.  

We look forward to vacationing together in the future.

Happy New Year!

Top (From Left):

Ribbon Cutting - We opened our first store location in Ocean City during Spring 2012.  We held a ribbon cutting with the Ocean City Chamber of Commerce to kick off the season.  We were happy many of our friends and family came by to check out the new spot.  More info...

Debut - Our towels made their NFL debut in May 2012 for the MEOR Fundraiser at the Met Life Stadium.   This was one of our favorite deliveries.  We got to walk onto the field at the ol' Giants stadium and even go into the visiting teams locker room before the event.  More info...

Relax - Our team takes great pride in packaging our orders with TLC.  We sometimes do photo shoots of our items.  Here are some of our towels posing with our shore sign which reads "RELAX - It doesn't get better than this."  It is definitely funny to read this sign during crazy summer weeks!

Our Linen Walls - It was a record year for our linens and towels.  Twin sets were most popular but Queen sets were a close second.  As for towels - we sent out over 500 towels each week.  Boy do we have clean vacationers!

Bottom (from left)

Store- Our new store is located at 1213 West Avenue in Ocean City.  It's a great spot to take for our team to confirm reservations and prepare  orders for delivery all over the Jersey Shore.  We will opening back up at the same location real soon!

Fourth of July - We love to have fun with our orders.  For the Fourth of July week we included small flags with orders for vacationers to enjoy.  Also most orders throughout the year include "Do Not Disturb" door tags just like hotels.

Crib - The crib was probably the most exciting addition to both our inventory and our family.   For Summer 2012, we introduced baby equipment to our inventory. We offer full size cribs, BOB strollers, high chairs and more!   This addition was by request from many vacationers with young children.
Also -  we welcomed a little baby boy into our family in late September.   What a special delivery for us!

Beach House - The beach house is our favorite symbol of realtors, vacationers and homeowners. We wouldn't be without all of you!  Thank you!

Although not pictured, Hurricane Sandy had a significant impact in 2012.  Our prayers go out to those affected.  We believe in our Jersey Shore and look forward to vacationing together in the future.

Cool App: Star Walk

We love living at the beach year round. One of the best things about it is looking at the stars at night. On a clear night you can see a lot but you may not know what you are looking at. By no means am i an astronomer (but did take an astronomy class in college to fulfill my Science requirement.). I do appreciate knowing what I'm looking at! Check out the star walk app next time you are stargazing at the beach.

Hot chocolate

We truly enjoyed hosting an impromptu hot chocolate stand outside our place in manasquan on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. Walkers along the beach path were welcome to enjoy a complimentary cup of hot chocolate w whipped cream and marshmallows. Cookies too! Manasquan endured a lot of damage from hurricane Sandy and many walkers were seeing it for the first time. We hope the hot chocolate helped warm folks up and allowed them to think of warm days ahead as the recovery continues.

Fun with holiday orders

We couldn't resist putting red bows on orders going out for Christmas! We hope our guests enjoy their linens, towels and baby equipment.

Mentioned as a Thought Leader By Entrepreneur.com

Following our interview with Entrepreneur.com regarding our lessons learned from Hurricane Sandy, we were happy to hear we were considered one of the thought leaders of the week. 

To view visit: http://www.entrepreneur.com/blog/printthis/225294

Interview with Entrepreneur.com

We were recently interviewed by Entrepreneur.com regarding our lessons learned following Hurricane Sandy.  We were interviewed by Gwen Moran from a coffee shop in North Jersey since we were displaced from our home and store.   

http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/225264

Identifying New Inventory Following Sandy

My husband, baby, dog and I have been displaced now for over a month.  It has been a crazy month but we are fortunate that we will be able to return to our winter place soon.  Despite all the craziness, we've learned a lot about "stuff"...  While we definitely have figured out we can travel fairly well in just suitcases but babies need to be entertained; therefore, requiring us to travel with lots of stuff .

When we introduced baby items last summer, we included required items for travel and just a few fun things.  This year we will be adding some new items to our inventory based on what we've found helpful to have around.

Be on the lookout for activity mats.  Our little one just love them.  He spends  a lot of time just hanging out and baby chatting with the toys.   A must have for a two month old and up!

Recall: Bed Rails

It came to our attention that our Dream On Me Bed Rails have been recalled.  It is extremely important to us to provide safe, high quality baby equipment to our customers.  These bed rails have been removed from inventory and have been taken off website until further notice.

http://www.dreamonme.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=90&Itemid=96

Small business saturday

We just love small business Saturday. It is a great way to shop local and support the little guys. Yesterday we supported the 7th street surf shop in ocean city. We were happy to find them open following the hurricane. We love our new toms!

Ocean city crib orders

We had a great time delivering a crib, linens and towels this week to one of our repeat guests staying in ocean city. It's fun catching up on recent events since their last visit. It's amazing how time flies!

Feeling thankful

With everything going on over past few weeks, we are just so thankful for our family, friends, customers and of course our jersey shore.

Bed making treats

We just love to leave treats when we make beds. Today we were in Avalon to provide linens, towels, aerobeds and bed making service. Godiva chocolates are our favorite! We definitely make sure we have enough for the house before enjoying some for ourselves:)

Small Business Saturday

We just love the idea of  American Express' Small Business Saturday.  Card members enroll their cards in the program and  American Express provides $25 credit when card members shop at local retailers on the Saturday after Thanksgiving.

We are participating as both a cardholder and a local retailer.  We think it is a great way to support your favorite local businesses.  We think this is an even better way to support your favorite Jersey Shore business following Hurricane Sandy. So many businesses have been affected and could use your help!  If you are at the shore this Saturday, stop on by and buy something!  If you are not, why not give the store a call and get it shipped.  It may be a little more expensive but the Shore needs you.

Pinterest

Thank goodness for Pinterest. As a new mom I've been learning what to do in the middle of the night while hanging with the new baby. I usually start with Facebook then check out Twitter.

Over the past three weeks it's been so hard to check out both of them since there are so many devastating pictures of our Jersey Shore. In an effort to keep it together for the kiddo and any chance to get back to sleep, I had to look for another option.

We started Pinterest boards a few months ago highlighting some of our favorite spots at the shore. I decided to head back to the site and further expand our wall with cute options for families visiting the beach. We know many places at the shore may not be the same, we are certain many things will always be great. We will still have beach bags that need to be filled, beach photo opps, large family dinners at rental homes, etc. we hope viewers enjoy checking out our suggestions!

Check us out here:http://pinterest.com/relaxconcierge/

Tough

Over past few weeks we've been living between north jersey and ocean city area while we wait to hear if we can move back to Manasquan. It's been a challenging few weeks. Its been hard to not be in Manasquan with everyone trying to recover. When up in north jersey it just doesn't seem like all this happened. I feel awful going shopping and getting my hair done. It's like nothing happened to our beach. I can't expect people to talk about it all day long but I dont want folks to forget about it until summer.

Thanksgiving Order

We are so thankful for our Thanksgiving customers. Following a difficult few weeks, we are happy to hear that vacationers will be returning to some of our shore towns.  If you will be at the shore over the holidays and need rental items, please contact us for discounted rates.

Donations

Linens and towels are in need for many affected by Hurricane Sandy.  Thanks to Mary for dropping off 2 bags of linens and towels.

Business

Today we attended a meeting held by the Ocean City Chamber of Commerce with FEM, SBA and OCNJCare. It was standing room only. So many businesses were affected in town. This is just one town.

OCNJCare is a volunteer organization that was formed hours after Sandy subsided.For more information or the help out visitwww.ocnjcare.org

In the next few weeks many businesses will be open again. Please support your local shore businesses this holiday season. Either go by or give them a call to order your favorite items.

Today we updated the website to include 2013 vacation dates.  This task used to be exciting for us.  This would spark thoughts of what the upcoming summer would be like... What will be  the  hot items for the upcoming season?  What will be the top delivery towns?  What will be the most busy weeks?

While we don't know what the next summer will bring, we will certainly do our best to make your Jersey Shore vacation as relaxing as we possibly can.

For now, we just ask that you make a donation to the American Red Cross to assist with those affected by the hurricane.

Ways to Help

It is amazing to see how the Jersey Shore really comes together to support those affected by oHurricane Sandy. Volunteers have been coming from all over to help out.

While in Manasquan to check out damages to our home, we were greeted by smiles from many locals - many without power and with significant damage to their own homes.   Children were handing out pizza, high school students offering coffee, restaurants providing free soup, a fire and live jazz.  We also saw a kids zone of games that kids could hang out at to briefly forget about the hardships at home.  It is truly amazing how people come together.

While there, we briefly stopped by the baptist church in Manasquan to drop off all our remaining L'Occitane toiletries from this summer.

There are many ways to help out following the devastation caused by Hurricane Sandy.   Please check borough websites  for more info.    Alternatively,  donations can be made through the American Red Cross.  

Hurricane Sandy Update

We are only one of many businesses damaged in Ocean City. What we would have considered significant at one time, it is truly insignificant when compared to the devastation across our shoreline. Thank you to all those who have expressed concern and assistance. Our thoughts and prayers are with all those affected by Hurricane Sandy. 

The future

I spent the day yesterday viewing photos of our beloved jersey shore. Today I can't help but think of the future of the jersey shore. My son, just 5 weeks old, will only know the "new" jersey shore and not the one we all knew. When visiting a town he will never recall a memory of the pre sandy days. I am happy he did enjoy a few walks on the Manasquan beach, a drive to ocean city and the ride home from the hospital through long branch, deal, asbury, belmar, Bradley, spring lake, sea girt to our home in Manasquan.

It is up to us to rebuild so our children can build their own memories of the shore we all love.

I never thought I would have seen pictures as devastating as I did today. My heart aches for the Jersey Shore. From sea bright to cape may, I have enjoyed my time in each town. Manasquan has a special place in my heart as it is my winter home and ocean city as our summer home. As i think about all the Good times ive had i cant Help but think about Our newborn son. He was born in long branch and enjoyed the Manasquan I knew for a month. He will have his fun at the shore someday- a different jersey shore though.
Prayers go out to all those affected.

Hotel Crib Safety

The safest place for a child is in a fully functional, properly assembled crib.

Back in June 2011, all cribs made and sold  must comply with new and improved federal safety standards through the JPMA. The new rules, which apply to full-size and non full-size cribs, do not allow the sale of traditional drop-side rail cribs. 

By December 28, 2012, the new rules also apply to cribs currently in use at places of public accommodation (hotels, motels, B&B,etc.) . At that time these facilities must use only compliant cribs that meet the new federal safety standards. If staying at a hotel and need a crib at the Jersey Shore, please make sure to check with the property to make sure they are compliant.  

Relax Concierge only offers JPMA certified cribs.  Our full size cribs are made by Dream on Me and do not include drop-side rails.  Please contact us to rent a JPMA certified crib during your stay.  

Baby monitors

With the recent addition to our family, we definitely like having a baby monitor with us when our little one is not in our arms. This definitely helps us relax instead of wondering what he's up to.

For your next vacation, consider renting our Summer Infant color baby monitors. Visit www.Relaxconcierge.com.

Heres another idea. we've also used FaceTime with our iPad and iPhone. All you need are these items and access to a wifi network.

North Jersey Crib Rentals

From time to time we receive requests for cribs away from the Jersey Shore. Depending on the location we are happy for accommodate requests. Yesterday marked our first crib delivery to southern Morris county.

A limited number of cribs and select baby equipment will be available for rental to Monmouth, union middlesex, somerset and southern Morris county this fall and winter. This is perfect for families visiting with kids over the holidays. Call us today for more info at 609.601.5077.

It doesn't get better than this!

We purchased this sign for the office at the start of the summer. We think it is a great reminder to customers to just relax and enjoy your time on vacation with loved ones.

Events, Events, Events

It's amazing to think of all the possibilities our rental items have for events located in NJ and NY. Our customers have rented towels for locker rooms at the met life stadium, baptisms, weekend cabin trips, you name it. We've even received interest in beach chair rentals for wedding ceremonies where chairs would be covered with our white beach towels. How creative!! We will be announcing one of our future events in NYC soon.

This all makes us excited for future events.Anyone planning a toga party?

Ocean city sangria

Sangria in ocean city? Well yes if you mean the non alcoholic kind. Jon & pattys on asbury ave has the most delicious sangria. They even told my mom their secret but we aren't telling.

Rent It Today

During the off season we enjoy spending time getting the word out about our rental items and services. Rent It Today is a great resource for a wide range of rental items anywhere in the US. Check out our page at:
http://www.rentittoday.com/rental-stores/Relax-Concierge---Jersey-Shore-Linen-Rentals--Beach-Equipment-1026

Favorite bakeries at the shore

One of our favorite things to do is hitting a local bakery at the shore. Whether it be walking, riding our bike to or taking the convertible we like to make a trip to the bakery a small excursion.

Here are our favorite spots:
Scone pony (Spring Lake) - fantabulous crumb cake and fancy pastries
Muellers (Bay Head) - fantabulous crumb cake and cakes
Ferrara's (LBI) - good donuts!
Aversa's (brigantine) - good donuts!
Who's on First (Oc)- best scones at the shore
Browns (Oc) hot donuts. Gotta eat them while you are there.
Mallons (Oc, avalon, stone harbor) - sticky buns

BOB strollers are great!

For summer 2012 we expanded our inventory to include single and double BOB Revolution strollers. With a new addition to our family, we are excited to have a stroller of our own.

The BOB has been great for our walks at the beach on sand and gravel. It's also been great for walking with our dog.

To reserve a BOB for your next vacation, visit www.relaxconcierge.com. Call us if you are interested in buying one.

Last beach day?

Today's forecast call for sunny skies and a high of 80 degrees at the jersey shore. You better believe we will be out on the beach today getting what may be the last perfect beach day until next year. We will definitely be bringing out our chairs, umbrella, beach towels and chaise to enjoy the day!

Special Thank You

A special thank you goes out to our team that managed our orders during September while we were busy planning for the arrival of a new addition to our family.  On September 21st,  we welcomed a baby boy to our hearts.  Everyone has been doing great!

Thank you to Mary, Mark, Mario, Nick, Dawn and Erin for their dedication.  As a female owned small business owner, it was truly important to me that we remained open and continued to provide our customers with our premium rental items and services during this time.   Thank you!  

Pretty sunrise today!

It's our first day back home after having our baby. We were up all night but got to enjoy this beautiful sunrise!

NJ Crib rental

What can we say- our cribs look so cute when all set up! We love them so much we have one of our full size Dream on Me cribs at our place.

Our cribs are available for rental in NJ. Our cribs are stationary (non drop side) rail system that folds for easy transport to bedrooms.  Mattresses have 2 positions for support.  When assembled, the cribs are 54"L x31"W x46"H.  All cribs are JPMA certified.   A 5 inch mattress is included with crib.

During summer months, we offer cribs for weekly rental on Long Beach Island, Brigantine, Margate, Ocean City, Strathmere, Sea Isle City, Avalon, Stone Harbor and Diamond Beach. During the off season, cribs are available for weekend stays at many towns in NJ.  For more information, visit www.relaxconcierge.com or call us at 609-601-5077.


Please note we offer crib sheets but linens pictured do not come with crib rentals.

Where did everyone go?

We all know that September is a great month to visit the beach. We enjoyed the day at Manasquan and was very surprised that no one was there to enjoy the day with us. During the summer months this beach is packed!

Delightful brunch in manasquan

It's been awhile since we've posted about restaurants at the Jersey Shore.

We had a nice brunch at The Spotted
Pig in Manasquan. They moved in before the summer to the old broadway grill on main street.

We heard their burgers were great so we checked it out. We got brunch but the whole menu looked delicious.
Next time you are in Manasquan - check it out.

What a summer!

With September almost half way over a lot of our inventory has been coming back from it's summer vacation. It's
Amazing to think we've grown so much over the past few months.
We've more than doubled the number of beach chairs, umbrellas, pillows, linens and more. We've expanded our
inventory to include a wide range of baby equipment such as cribs, strollers, high chairs and more. We've even ventured to new areas including ventnor, margate, wildwood and diamond beach.

With the off season upon us, our inventory is wondering what's next for the off season. Got any ideas?

September

September is a great month for our baby equipment rentals. Many families with young kids hit the beach while the weather is still nice but with less crowds. Call us or visit our website at www.relaxconcierge.com to reserve a crib, pack and play, stroller and more.

Avalon linen rental

Always happy to do a linen delivery in Avalon. Sheets and towels for these vacationers.

MS Bike Tour 2012

Relax Concierge is looking forward to participating in the 2012 City to Shore Ride. We are offering special pricing and free delivery for participants and families staying at rental homes in Ocean City.

Pricing is based on number of people staying at location.  Each person is to receive one bath towel set.  Bath towel sets include 1 bath towel, 1 hand towel and 1 wash cloth.    

The delivery of items to be made to vacation rental in Ocean City on 9/29. Items will be left outside your Ocean City vacation rental in clear bins with lids.  Items will be pickup on 9/30. Unlaundered items must be left outside in same location from drop off by 12pm.

Visit http://relaxconcierge.com/msbike.php  for more information. 

A glimpse of our services

We truly enjoyed providing our guests with our grocery delivery service. We loved hearing from guests that have weddings prior to their arrival where groceries are so appreciated after such a milestone. Here are a few pictures of our deliveries.

Look for our services again in summer 2013.

It's no surprise

We've been renting lots of our beautiful pillows this summer. It's no wonder when you see what some vacation rentals have on their beds.

Here's an example of a pillow at a beach house. Visit our website to rent nice down alternative pillows to make your stay more comfortable.

Ocean City Vacation Giveaway 2012

We were happy to participate in the Ocean City vacation giveaway for 2012.  Contest winners stayed in one of eleven OCNJ guest houses provided by area realtors and received an exclusive welcome basket with free tickets, special offers and coupons for businesses around town.    We were thrilled to donate our L'Occitane toiletries for each winning family.   

For more information about the contest, visit 
http://www.oceancityvacation.com/contest/contest.html

Thank you Jacqueline!

Thank you to Jacqueline for helping this summer. If you've called us this summer you likely chatted w Jacqueline. Jacqueline is off to my favorite college, Loyola university! Best of luck!

Lobster house

It's a yearly event for us to visit the lobster house in cape may. We usually prefer to dine outside. We enjoy grabbing a drink While reviewing the outdoor menu. Right before our arrival, rain rolled in saturating the tables. We decided to check out the indoor/outdoor raw bar so we could stay dry. It was great! Here are the stone crabs I ordered.

Philly Magazine

Did you see our ad in the Down the Shore section of Philly magazine?

More bed making

Summer 2012 is off to a great start. We've received lots of orders for linens, towels, beach gear and baby items. We've also been making vacations easier with our bed making service. Here's just a few pics from yesterday in stone harbor. Note: homeowner comforter pillows are at base of bed since every guest is different about using them with our sheets.

Good housekeeping

Did you see our ad in the June issue of Good Housekeeping, and Redbook?

Great start to the memorial day weekend

We kicked off the memorial day weekend festivities with some Thursday deliveries in Ocean City and in Brigantine. It was a beautiful day to drive around before the weekend rush.

Following deliveries our sign was installed. Just in time!

We ended the evening with dinner at hula grill and a nice walk on the boardwalk.

We look forward to more deliveries this weekend and hopefully some fun in the warm sunshine.

Ribbon Cutting

We had our official ribbon cutting ceremony on Friday with the Ocean City Chamber of Commerce and their business administrator. We are so excited to have a new location at 1213 West Ave.

Thank you to everyone who have made and continue to make Relax a reality!

Debut

Our towels made their NFL debut at Met Life Stadium on Sunday. The towels were for the Meor Charity event.

For more information on the Meor Charity visit:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7VPSmcXeCME&feature=youtube_gdata_player

We were invited to check out the field, gather towels in the locker room and got a ride on the golf cart. Our towels were also checked by security dogs upon arrival at the stadium.

Bed making kick off 2012

Saturday marked the kick off of bed making 2012. We have been doing many orders during the off season but we hadn't made any beds since late fall.

We worked with 2 homes on Long beach island yesterday and provided linens, towels, groceries and bed making.

Surf Chair Rentals (Beach Wheel Chairs)

We get asked from time to time about surf chair rentals (a.k.a. beach wheel chairs).  We unfortunately do not currently offer these.  However, many coastal towns provide at no charge.

Here are a few towns offering free surf chairs:

Avalon - Daily (summer): 10:00 am - 1:30 pm or 1:30 pm - 5:30 pm
Monday - Saturday (quiet season) -  Call for appointment.
Lavallette - Available on a first come first serve basis through the Lifeguard Headquarters 732-793-2566.
Off season Beach Wheelchairs are available through Public Works @ 732-793-7766

Long Beach Island

Ocean City

Stone Harbor

Odd beach items

I find it funny when houses have lawn items of animals that don't live at the jersey shore. Here's a few favorites. Maybe well get a big bear lawn ornament.