Lucy the Elephant moves her gift shop across the street

The gift shop at Lucy the Elephant has moved to a new location across the street from America’s Favorite Roadside Attraction.

The Save Lucy Committee held a ribbon cutting Saturday at the gift shop’s new digs across the street at Unit #5 at 9219 Atlantic Ave. in Margate.

The move is part of a plan that will allow a new visitor center to be built to accommodate the more than 150,000 people who come to see the world famous pachyderm each year.

    MBA/Margate Mayor Michael Becker, Save Lucy Committee President Davida Ross, Assemblyman Don Guardian cut the ribbon on Lucy's new gift shop.
  

The current gift shop was built in the mid-1980s when approximately 3,000 people visited annually.

"It’s a much different elephant now,” said Richard Helfant, executive director of the nonprofit organization that maintains the historic structure. “The current building simply cannot handle the volume of traffic we are so fortunate to have, and we currently do not have public access ADA-compliant restrooms for our visitors.”

   Lucy the Elephant gift shop.
  

Earlier this month, the Save Lucy Committee completed its purchase of the former Ocean City Home Bank, located directly across the street from Lucy.

“We were hoping the bank may have left some cash behind … so far we have found a quarter,” Helfant said.

    MBA/Executive Director Richard Helfant with Lucy the Elephant supporters.
  

The existing gift shop building will be torn down in April to make way for a brand new state of the art, ADA-compliant Welcome Center. Construction is scheduled to begin in September, with a completion date sometime in the second or third quarter of next year. 

The new facility will include restrooms for visitors and an interpretive center. People who cannot climb Lucy’s winding stairs will be able to tour her virtually in the new facility.

    

The Welcome Center is being built in partnership with the City of Margate and was designed by SOSH Architects of Atlantic City, along with guidance from Margaret Westfield of Westfield Architects and Preservation Consultants of Haddon Heights.

Lucy the Elephant is open from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. weekends though March.

For more, see lucytheelephant.org.

    MBA