Weather puts chill on holiday shopping

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.

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.

“This has slowed it down considerably,” said Marci Wainhouse of her business at Bella Home and Garden. “First we had the economy, now we have the weather. What next?”

“The snow has been horrible,” said Karl Beavers, owner of Children’s Bookshop and Teaching Supplies in downtown Kent. “We’re down in the tens of thousands of dollars.”

Beavers said he had to shorten hours at his Kent store and had to close one of his other locations.

Most of the businesses contacted said they had shortened hours or closed at least one day over the past weekend.

“I’ve lost two days this month,” added Judi Stringfellow of English Cottage Collection in downtown Kent. “I’m generally open every day in December.”

For those who stayed open, business was not nearly as brisk as the winds outside. Some stores bucked the rule, though.

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.

Haggin said her numbers have been good this season, but admits it is “hard to gauge” because it is her first year in Kent Station.

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’t help but think the storm did discourage some shoppers.

“I think it would have been better (without the snow),” Haggin said, “but my numbers have been good.”

But Haggin seems to be the exception rather than the rule, as even for some businesses who don’t rely on Christmas shoppers, the weekend proved to be a bust.

“It completely killed my whole weekend,” said Dave, owner of Shindig Martini Bar (who declined to give his last name). “Everybody’s hunkered down.”

Dave said he was able to open all weekend, but saw no shoppers on the streets downtown.

“I’m not seeing anybody,” he said. “This is killing me down here.”

Even with businesses being able to open again Monday, shoppers were still staying away.

“I’m open but there’s no business yet,” Stringfellow said.

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.

“We should have been really strong on Saturday and Sunday,” she said.

Given the weakened economy this shopping season, several retailers said the snow will only make the bottom line worse.

“There’s a not a retailer out there who wasn’t feeling the crunch before this,” said Lyda Bond, owner of Just the Thing, a women’s apparel and premium denim store at Kent Station. “You’re eroding all your gross margins for sure.”

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.

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.

Contact Kent Reporter General assignment reporter Brian Beckley at bbeckley@kentreporter.com or 253-872-6600, ext. 5054.

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