Businesses Bogged Down By Blizzard

With most of the eastern seaboard staring out of their windows into the wild white yonder, some Port Washington residents still had places to go and people to see on Wednesday, if they dared to trek out into the snowstorm.

For anyone who has ever seen the movie, The Empire Strikes Back, the desolate ice-planet Hoth might be brought to mind whenever a blizzard like this hits. Unlike that barren wasteland however, many stores in Port Washington were open for business. How much business they did remains in question.

"It's actually pretty dead right now, which is surprising," said Adam Novick, the manager of Alper's TrueValue Hardware on Main Street. "People either already prepared when they heard a storm was coming this past weekend, or they were skeptical about today's storm and didn't prepare. People will probably start showing up tomorrow."

In case you weren't prepared or just didn't believe the weather forecasts, Novick said Alper's TrueValue has all of your thawing-out needs. Alper's has everything from shovels to icebreakers to lock de-icers to help you get out of the deep freeze. But when buying salt, he said residents should instead buy calcium chloride ice melters.

"The ice melters are better than standard rock salt," Novick explained. "They're safer for our pets whose paws are sensitive to the rock salt, and more effective."

Tim Fleck of HomeGoods said he thought Tuesday night's business was unusually busy, possibly due to the store's placement next to Stop & Shop, considering how many people bought groceries last night in preparation for staying in today.

The storm however, is not deterring HomeGoods' from staying open for business. "The plows are out, the employees are here and the customers are surprisingly coming," Fleck said.

With conditions seemingly worsening, many stores will be shutting down early. Unlimited Sports Action's batting and throwing cages opened as usual for the day, but the complex is closing early due to the worsening snowfall.

"People came in for throwing and hitting practice," owner Al Sontag said. "But with the snow getting worse, this afternoon's classes were canceled."

With most families off today, if you do venture out for something to eat, it's important to know that consistency in the restaurant business is paramount. That is why Louie's Oyster Bar and Grille will be open during its usual business hours, until 10 p.m., according to manager Jason Dezorette. "Even though we expect a slow business day, we'll be open for all of the regulars and anyone who wants to come in." Dezorette said.

He added that he was leery of the weather reports, especially in lieu of last week's storm that never was. "Hopefully, the weather reports are wrong," Dezorette said, "and the storm will let up earlier than expected."

A slew of stores in town didn't open their doors at all on Wednesday. Smaller retail shops, such as Lou Babs & Moogs, were unfortunately closed due to the storm. With Valentine's Day approaching and Presidents' Week next week, that is a precious day of shopping lost. To compensate for this, the store will be open this Sunday.

"It's definitely affecting our business negatively," Lou Babs & Moogs owner Helen Lieb said. "Because of the storm, we'll be open on Sunday from 10-2, at least, for last minute Valentine's gifts. Then we'll see how it goes from there."