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Mild winter, lack of snow and ice, Sept. 11 slow local economyBy Danielle Strenke and Barbara Brown As Minnesotans, we all know the old saying about the weather: ìIf you donít like it, wait. It will change in a minute.î This winter the news has been filled with predictions for an unusually mild start to the season and that mild winter can mean bad news for area businesses owners. ìItís killing me, the business loss,î said Les Cleveland, owner of Fish Lake Bait & Tackle in Harris. Without more than a day or two in the deep freeze, the lakes in the area were not freezing thick enough to support ice fishing houses before Christmas Eve. As soon as word got out that lake ice was thick enough to stand on, ice fishermen were clamoring to get to the lakes, even if that meant taking time away from their families at Christmas. ìThe ice fishers were very anxious, no one could believe itñ the water was open most of the month,î he said. However, Cleveland said, some lakes may not freeze thick enough to support driving out to particularly favorable fishing spots. If fishermen arenít going onto the lakes for ice fishing, Clevelandís business suffers. A slight drop in profits for some businesses may not be too painful, but for Cleveland, the business lost cannot be regained. In the live bait business, stores must sell their stock in a specific amount of time or it will die, thereby putting bait shops in the red. Not only is Clevelandís shop suffering on the public sales side, he said the minnow trappers couldnít get to the centers of lakes to trap the minnows they sell to his store for much of December. He said it was even more difficult on lakes where a thin layer of ice had formed near shore. Without enough ice, the minnow trappers canít walk out in the middle of the lake to trap their bait; and with ice, they canít travel by boat either. He realized not only was his business suffering, but other area businesses that depend on revenue from selling bait, licenses, and fishing equipment, as well as convenience stores, resorts and restaurants near the ìhot spotî lakes, such as Mille Lacs. ìThe restaurants, the snowmobilers and businesses who sell snowmobile equipment, they all count on ice on the lakes,î Cleveland said. Some local hardware stores seem to be lost in the chaos of the up and down sales trends that accompany wintertime weather. ìItís been absolute chaos ñ up and down, thatís the answer,î said Jim Keacher, owner of Stacy Do-It-Best Hardware. ìWe werenít really selling much,î Keacher said Friday of snowblowers. ìBut then they got that big snow in Wisconsin, I was selling machines until 8 oíclock last night.î A late November snow storm that dumped up to 15 inches in surrounding areas caused a rush on hardware stores, Keacher said. ìThirty days ago, we couldnít handle it,î he said. ìThatís become the American way, though. Everyone waits and then thereís a hustle and bustle to get the things they need at the last minute. ìWho knows,î Keacher said. ìMaybe next week Iíll be standing here doing nothing.î While the Stacy hardware store sees a slight boost from its Polaris dealership, all-terrain vehicles seem to have taken their place over the past few years. With little snow in the area, fewer people are investing in snowmobiles, Keacher said. ìIíve sold over 300 ATVs this year,î he said. Keacher said one of the ways he keeps bringing customers into his store is a wide selection of all kinds of gadgets, tools, accessories and machines. ìYou want to be spread out,î he said. ìWhen one thing isnít going good, then another thing is selling fast.î After the first snowfall of the year, in November, the Main Street Ace Hardware in North Branch was packed with people trying to get their hands on a snow shovels and ice melting materials, said owner Roger Sinn. ìWe sold out and we had to restock,î said Sinn, who undoubtedly has seen some pretty bad weather in his 15 years in the same location. Sinn said the store used to carry snowblowers, but ìwe left that to the bigger places that can service them,î he said. ìWeíre more of a general item store,î he said. ìIt would be nice if we could get more action, but all in all itís been good.î ìPeople were buying less and spending less,î he said. ìItís been down since Sept. 11, and having no snow hurt too, I think. People werenít in the holiday mood.î He said the bakery was cautious not to overstock with holiday baked goods, but there will probably be some left over after all the holiday parties subside. Despite the slowdown, Koep isnít worried. ìWeíre hanging in there, weíve been here 18 years and nobody is going to kick me out yet.î Across the street at Heartís Desire, owner Marie Johnson said holiday sales were very comparable to last year, their first year in business. ìIt was a little slow after Sept. 11, then people started coming in for everything with flags,î she said. She offers her thoughts on why her business has been stable this year. ìPeople have liked hometown shopping and are still doing it. I think they want to stay around town more.î Keacher said area businesses have been through tough times in the past and have bounced back. ìWeíll get through it,î he said. ìWe just need the weather and I donít hear about anything coming our way in the next week.î ©ECM Post Review |