Will Summer of 2022 Be Last Hurrah for Somers Point Clam Bar?

Smith's Marina is up for sale and the future of a legendary Somers Point eatery doing business there hangs in the balance. Will Smitty's Clam Bar be allowed to continue operating after the property is sold?

The Philadelphia Inquirer broke the news that the trust which owns Smith's Marina, at 910 Bay Ave in Somers Point, has put the property up for sale.

Smitty's Clam Bar has operated in a shack on the marina property since 1974, serving tasty clams, oysters and steamed mussels, clam chowder, scallops, and incredible key lime pie.

The pandemic forced Smitty's to serve only takeout food for the past two summers.

Smitty's also has bar seating and a laid-back attitude going back about as far as anybody can remember.

The Smith's Marina trust, which represents the heirs of the late Bill and Claudia Smith, is asking just under $6 million for the marina property in the historic Bay Ave District, according to the real estate ad.

LANDMARK MARINA- RESTAURANT OFFICIALLY FOR SALE... features 136 boat slips, boat ramp, 75 storage spaces, restaurant, bayfront coffee-breakfast shop space available. This property has been operating since 1960, well known for easy access to the ocean, rivers, and creeks. This property offers a unique opportunity for other resort uses with high seasonal visitor traffic right in the heart of all the action."

The Inquirer reports that Smitty's owners have an agreement with the marina trust to do business on the site in summer 2022, but any decision after that would be up to the new owners.

In the article, the Philadelphia Inquirer's Michael Klien remembers back to those glory day summers in the 1970s when Smitty's Clam Bar was a 24-hour business, popular with the younger party set living under New Jersey's old 18-year-old drinking law.

My experience with Smitty's Clam Bar is more centered around the recent past and their fresh, delicious food and unique atmosphere, but it's a sentimental spot, nonetheless.

Smitty's owners Patrice and Peter Popovic and relatives Angelo DeRosa and Todd Simpson will wait to see how the sale of Smith's Marina turns out before they will know if they have shucked their last clam at Smitty's.