ALGOMA (NBC 26) — Outside of the crashing waves, Algoma's waterfront was quiet on Friday afternoon.
It is much different than what the city saw earlier this year.
"You're not used to seeing big cruise ships on the Great Lakes, especially because it is a new phenomenon," Algoma Area Chamber of Commerce executive director Bradley Kautenberg said.
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On Wednesday, the City of Algoma finished a record-breaking cruise season. According to Visit Kewaunee County, it welcomed a record-high 13 cruise ships are around 5,000 passengers to its marina.
All of this year's ships came from Viking Cruises. The cruise line uses Algoma as a stop for a 10-day trip called "Great Lakes Treasures," which sails roundtrip from Milwaukee, and a 15-day trip called "Great Lakes Collection," which sails between Toronto and Duluth, Minn.
Kautenberg says the economic impacts from a historic season were felt by the city's stores.
"We're constantly talking to local businesses, and trying to get them to share their wins with us," he said. "So, a win for them looks like someone coming in and making a purchase."
This happened at a lot of art galleries, where owners interacted with visitors from near and far.
"I think they live in Sheboygan," Robert Ray gallery co-owner Dale Rustad said, recalling a visiting customer. "It was someone that wouldn't have come, even though they live close by, but they were on the cruise ship."
"A main one is Australia," Ladybug Glass— Studio & Gallery owner Kimberly Lyon said. "We've been invited to go to Australia any time we want."
Lyon says cruise visitors do not just buy art. They leave behind something lasting.
This year, a conversation with an artist from South Carolina opened to door to a potential collaboration.
"It's been great," Lyon said when asked about the relationship starting from cruises stopping in Algoma. "This year, that's one of the ones that we remember."
For Algoma's small business, cruise season is not about revenue. It is about the connections that make people come back.
"We love to see tourists," Lyon said.
Kautenberg says that he expects eight cruise ships to visit Algoma next year, with the first one coming on May 20.
