Love a good deal? Visit Downtown OCNJ’s B&B Department Store for cool resort attire

B&B Department Store aims to stock shelves with clothing, beach gear, gift items and more at price points for everyone

AT B&B Department Store, they know every customer has value. With that idea in mind, the longtime Ocean City staple specializes in an array of clothing, swimwear, beach essentials and specialty gift items, all available in a range of prices.
“At B&B we focus on casual resort attire. We focus on swim and anything to go with it. The beach and anything to go with it,” Jeff Davidson, B&B executive vice president, said. “You will find at B&B a unique assortment of clothing and prices. Instead of being either a high-price retailer or low-price retailer, we run the gamut in a lot of categories.”
Jeff’s father, David Davidson, and business partner Phil Bertoli opened the doors of the Downtown Ocean City retailer in 1986. The label, which already had some other New Jersey locations, saw America’s Greatest Family Resort as a thriving town with a lot of potential. Jeff even visited the island with his fraternity brothers from Lehigh University in 1985 and concurred with his dad – Ocean City looked like the place to be.
There have been some management and ownership changes through the years, including splitting into North and South groups in 2006. Two years ago, the six shops were once again unified in both ownership and management, and Jeff took this as an opportunity to do a little updating – including in Ocean City.
In short, he wanted to bring B&B on Asbury Avenue back to its roots – with a bit of a facelift, too, of course.
The open floor plan returned, the bathrooms were reopened to the public and the back door access was restored. The store also perked up with new carpeting, fresh paint, LED lighting, updated registers and some new decorations.
“We made it much more inviting,” Jeff said. “We just wanted to complete the store, and we’re getting some very positive feedback.”
It was important to Jeff and his staff that the store continue to carry a wide range of apparel at various price points. Women can pick up a cute casual dress for under $20, or they can splurge on one priced at $70. The same goes for bathing suits, men’s clothing – and really every category you’ll find in the shop.
“I always felt that’s the best way to do it. You have all different incomes,” Jeff said. “But we always try to make our lower price goods competitive and appropriate – we don’t sell junk.”
They also try to notice trends outside of clothing. The B&B stores open in the 1970s, for instance, sold Hummel figurines, which were exceptionally popular at the time. Nowadays – in Ocean City, at least – it’s rubber ducks. Some are glittery, others fluorescent, some with winking eyes – but all are selling.

“This year I’m doing really well with rubber ducks and I have never sold a rubber duck before,” Jeff said with a laugh. “I’m selling them like crazy. To me, it’s kind of bizarre.”
Jeff believes B&B was the first store locally to put a sea turtle on a sweatshirt in masse – a huge trend they were ahead of. They also pick up on trends from other retailers and the fashion world. Last year they saw a lot of palm trees, so they brought more of that design into B&B. Capris used to sell well, but now they offer more in pants, including fleece or mesh.
“We have a good idea what we’re supposed to do. We have good reports so we can read and react. I have an extremely good team of buyers and managers and people,” Jeff said.
The old adage of treating the customer like they want to be treated may be a big part of that, too. When Jeff or one of his buyers gets product on deep discount, they pass on those savings to their customers. For instance, the large, plush beach towels sold at B&B are a steal at $9.99 or $14.99, but that’s because Jeff gets them at a great price to start.
“We still make a nice margin on it, but people are happy,” he said.
B&B carries lines for men, women, juniors, young men, and children, as well as accessories, gifts, beach and swim items.
“We carry a little bit of everything. Sometimes people are surprised,” Jeff said.
There are a range of brands on the shelves, including O’Neil, Salt Life, Ocean Drive and Vintage Havana.
“We go out to California, we go to Florida, we go to South Carolina, we go to New York, and we look for other brands. We’re always looking to upgrade our assortments or complete our assortments, and I think we do well,” Jeff said.
Although Ocean City has changed since B&B Department Store first opened on the island, Jeff is happy to see they’re still doing well Downtown.
“We’re fortunate we’re still here,” he said.
And for those who haven’t stopped by B&B since the 2022 upgrades, Jeff said all are welcome.
“We’re still getting people to understand that we changed the store,” he said, “and it’s vastly different.”
Simply put, there’s something for everyone at B&B.
B&B Department Store is located at 827 Asbury Ave., Ocean City, and can be reached by calling (609) 391-0046. Learn more online at bnbdepartmentstore.com. Follow the business on Instagram @bnb_departmentstore.
Text by Kristen Dowd.
Photos courtesy of B&B Department Store.