Lunenburg County — Barbra Outhouse of the Oak Island Inn and Resort has a message for us all: “No, we do not have T-shirts and hoodies. We don’t have coffee cups or stickers. We have no merch of any kind. Please stop asking!”
The Oak Island treasure has astonished people for almost two and a half centuries. For the longest time the story of Oak Island was known mostly by Martimers, but since The Curse of Oak Island premiered on the History Channel in 2014, Oak Island — and the Oak Island Inn — have become an even bigger attraction.
Outhouse, floor manager at the inn, told us that since the rise in popularity in The Curse of Oak Island over these past three years, tourists, “more than ever before” have been “bombardin’” the Inn with requests for merchandise.
“Oh, Jesus, we must get a handful every other day,” she told us. “Yep. Even in the winter. You wouldn’t believe it. It’s really startin’ ta get on our nerves, I’ll tell ya that. We’ve never sold anything of the sort and never thought aboat it once. Sure folks have bin comin’ here stickin’ their nose in since before my mother was even born, but we got a quiet little community oat here and we’d like ta keep it that way.”
When confronted with the idea that merchandise at the inn could be a smart financial move, Outhouse simply lit a cigarette and continued with her rant.
“It’s hard enough with them down there shootin’ the friggin’ show in the first place. Jesus! Just go look at the island and drink yer coffee and leave us be…”
With winter fading and summer right around the corner, it’s safe to assume Outhouse and the other staff will be breaking more hearts of those die-hard COI fans just looking for a nice reminder of their time on the south shore of ol’ Nova Scotia.
“I hope people read this,” Outhouse told us before getting back to work, “or I may just take my retirement early.”