Businesses springing back in spring

As the spring thaw finally sets in after a long and cold winter, business are finally able to end their imposed hibernation.

Many businesses took a hit this winter because of the weather. Cold temperatures and lots of snow kept many would-be shoppers indoors during the winter months.

“It was challenging with the weather,” said Shannon McComb, owner of Lucky Finds Boutique. “People didn’t want to come out and shop the street.”

Even between the bouts of snow, it was hard for shoppers to get around. Snow piled up on curbsides and in parking lots, creating near-impassable snow banks. And the fluctuating temperatures meant that ice was very often a concern. In all, many shoppers opted to stay in rather than braving the elements.

“The extreme cold hurt us, especially with our older regular customers,” said Churchill’s owner Kevin Culhane. “They didn’t come out. Neither did our younger customers, to tell you the truth.”

Culhane said that, for the first time in 14 years, he closed the restaurant during snow storms.

But as the weather has been improving, so has business.

“As the weather gets nicer, we get busy,” Culhane said. “And people just seem to be happy again. It’s amazing.

“We’d have people come in on a Friday night for a table and we’d tell them five or 10 minutes, and they’d almost have meltdowns,” he added. “Now, they don’t mind waiting.”

McComb said that she is eagerly anticipating the warm days. “As a shop owner, we rely on the weather,” she said. “And when there was five feet of snow and our customers couldn’t get over mounds of snow, it was a little challenging.

“And we are definitely looking forward to spring,” she added.