In an already difficult economy, a major snowstorm on the weekend before Christmas was not on the wish list of retailers and restaurants around the region.<\/p>\n
Even for those who stayed open or were able to get to their businesses, customers were few, as shoppers stayed off the roads and out of stores, while snow and ice piled up.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis has slowed it down considerably,\u201d said Marci Wainhouse of her business at Bella Home and Garden. \u201cFirst we had the economy, now we have the weather. What next?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe snow has been horrible,\u201d said Karl Beavers, owner of Children\u2019s Bookshop and Teaching Supplies in downtown Kent. \u201cWe\u2019re down in the tens of thousands of dollars.\u201d<\/p>\n
Beavers said he had to shorten hours at his Kent store and had to close one of his other locations.<\/p>\n
Most of the businesses contacted said they had shortened hours or closed at least one day over the past weekend.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve lost two days this month,\u201d added Judi Stringfellow of English Cottage Collection in downtown Kent. \u201cI\u2019m generally open every day in December.\u201d<\/p>\n
For those who stayed open, business was not nearly as brisk as the winds outside. Some stores bucked the rule, though.<\/p>\n
According to Debbie Marie Haggin, owner of Marie Haggin Accessories in Kent Station, she was late arriving one morning during the storm but found customers waiting for her shop to open.<\/p>\n
Haggin said her numbers have been good this season, but admits it is \u201chard to gauge\u201d because it is her first year in Kent Station.<\/p>\n
Haggin said she believes she is doing OK in this difficult season because of the uniqueness of her selection as well as the number of smaller, stocking-stuffer-type items in the store, though she can\u2019t help but think the storm did discourage some shoppers.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think it would have been better (without the snow),\u201d Haggin said, \u201cbut my numbers have been good.\u201d<\/p>\n
But Haggin seems to be the exception rather than the rule, as even for some businesses who don\u2019t rely on Christmas shoppers, the weekend proved to be a bust.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt completely killed my whole weekend,\u201d said Dave, owner of Shindig Martini Bar (who declined to give his last name). \u201cEverybody\u2019s hunkered down.\u201d<\/p>\n
Dave said he was able to open all weekend, but saw no shoppers on the streets downtown.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m not seeing anybody,\u201d he said. \u201cThis is killing me down here.\u201d<\/p>\n
Even with businesses being able to open again Monday, shoppers were still staying away.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m open but there\u2019s no business yet,\u201d Stringfellow said.<\/p>\n
At Bella Home and Garden, Wainhouse said she is able to complete her flower deliveries, but customer levels were not what were expected and losing two full days will be difficult to make up.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe should have been really strong on Saturday and Sunday,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Given the weakened economy this shopping season, several retailers said the snow will only make the bottom line worse.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s a not a retailer out there who wasn\u2019t feeling the crunch before this,\u201d said Lyda Bond, owner of Just the Thing, a women\u2019s apparel and premium denim store at Kent Station. \u201cYou\u2019re eroding all your gross margins for sure.\u201d<\/p>\n
Bind said before the storm, sales of gift cards and gift certificates had picked up, but the storm ground things to a halt, which Bond said she understands, adding that when it gets as cold as it did last week, some shoppers prefer an indoor environment.<\/p>\n
Bond said she is extending a sale on denim products until after he holidays to accommodate customers who were unable to make it to the store during the bad weather.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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