There was snow business or no business for North Olympic Peninsula retailers during a week of snow and ice.
Retailers in Forks, Port Angeles, Sequim and Port Townsend last week watched their sales rise with the snowdrifts or plunge with the temperature, depending upon whether or not their merchandise was suited to the weather.
The snowfall was a windfall for Swain’s General Store in Port Angeles.
“Our sales almost doubled because of the weather,” said Don Droz, manager, thanks to the store’s stock of lamps, flashlights, cold-weather gear, kerosene heaters and other armaments in the arsenal of winter weather warfare.
“We like to see a snow every year,” Droz said.
At Swain’s Outdoor, 551 W. Washington St., Sequim, salesman Jake Mooney said, “Tuesday was a big rush for us. We did about two or three times what we usually do.”
Mooney cited sales of shovels, sleds and snow apparel.
The downside was that some store employees weren’t able to drive to work from Port Angeles or Port Townsend, “so it’s been a little crazy,” he said.
Jefferson County residents flocked to Les Schwab Tires in Port Townsend to purchase snow tires to help them stay on the icy roads, said manager Pat Kelly.
“Business has been very good in the last week,” Kelly said.
Paul Keller, manager of Hadlock Building Supply in Port Hadlock said he saw a dual effect from the snow.
Although lumber sales were down, Keller said, other items just about flew off the shelves.
“We were busy,” he said.
“Weather-related items we did real well on.”
Fate wasn’t so kind to apparel retailers, though.
Roy Gotham, owner of The Toggery 105 E. First St., Port Angeles, said on Wednesday that the store had been open every day but had done only 40 percent of its usual business.
“The people who come in are serious about shopping,” he said.
Gotham said his store also had benefited from some spillover from The Haven restaurant next door.
“We’ve had people coming in after they’ve had lunch because they didn’t have any power at home,” he explained, adding that he’ll probably make up the business from late Christmas shopping this month.
Three blocks up the street at Gottschalks, 200 W. First, manager Peggy Kempf had a similar tale:
“It’s a sad experience,” she said.
Thousands in sales lost
A year ago Monday, the store had done $12,000 in sales.
This year, it did $3,700 that day.
Tuesday’s sales dropped to $7,000 from $20,000 a year ago, Kempf said.
On the bright side, “people seem like they’re in the spirit early this year,” she said.
“And one thing the weather does is keep people close to home.”
Kempf said Gottschalks would fight back with more advertising and a special sale for shoppers who missed last week’s “Big `G’ Days” sale.
“We’ll have something fun for customers . . . that will be just as good,” she said.
At Lady Truffles 157 W. Washington St., Sequim, owner Rick Roberts said his business was off by about two-thirds, but he managed to be philosophical.
“It’s life. It’s what you’ve got to deal with,” he said Wednesday.
“Nobody’s going out, and if I didn’t have to come down here, I wouldn’t either.”
In Port Townsend, Gail Boulter, owner of The Clothes Horse, said the retail clothes shop completely closed on Monday and Tuesday.
“These days before Christmas, every day counts,” Boulter said.
She estimated that last week’s snow cost her an 80 percent loss compared to the same week last year.
Boulter said she’s given shoppers an incentive to spend their money at The Clothes Horse.
“The whole store is on sale,” she said.