Warmer Winter Weather Heats up Retail Environment

Life, as they say, is unpredictable.

However, for most Lindenhurst retailers the unpredictably warmer, milder Winter experienced so far has meant an opportunity - in the slowest time of year and in the midst of an economic environment struggling to right itself - to heat up sales.

January and February temperatures hitting 60 degrees might mean a slowdown in ski-wear, but from restaurants to fashion outlets and dry cleaners, warm weather in Lindy has been welcomed by most with open arms.

Not by everyone, of course. At Hand Car Wash, at North Wellwood Avenue and Route 109, Rodrigo isn't particularly happy with the good weather.

"Snow means business for us," he said. "Sand, salt, mud - cars get dirty. And people have got to bring them in."

But that's more the excception than the norm for small businesses in Lindenhurst. For most things are looking sunny.

"This weather is good for us," said Marilina of on Hoffman Avenue. "We've already brought out our Spring line of women's wear. With weather like this, people are aware of looking nice. When they go out on a Friday night, they're not covered from head to toe."

"When it snows, people don't want to drive," added Tony, at , on Montauk Highway near South Wellwood. "Particularly older people. But when it's like this, people don't have to bundle up - they're want to look good."

Salvatore, whose barbershop on North Wellwood was too busy to talk, a customer waiting for a haircut chimed in. "I don't want to come out in bad weather to get a haircut," said Tim. "I'll just let it grow!"

As for Kyung Hee, behind the counter at the cleaners on Montauk Highway near Broome Avenue, she's seeing the same result.

"We've seen an uptick in business this year due to the weather," she said. "Generally we have down time after New Years - when it's cold, people just put on a coat. But with better weather they like to look nice."

The continued slowness of the economic recovery, of course, has reduced the positive impact the weather might otherwise have had for her business. "People are more likely to bring somethig in after wearing it three to four times, instead of twice. But they bring things in."

Managers of "destination" restaurants are happy with the situation, too - like Susan, manager of the on North Wellwood.

"Last year at this time, we were sitting in the middle of a snowstorm," she said. "Obviously people aren't going to come out in a situation like that. Things are much better this year."

For "quick-service" restaurants, on the other hand, the effect's not quite the same, according to Gary at , on Sunrise Highway.

"If there's no snow, they come in. If there's snow, we deliver," he said.

When it comes to grocers, it's also somewhat of a "six of one, half a dozen of another" situation. The manager of one local grocery, who asked not to be named, put it simply.

"There's a big rush before a snowstorm, which is good because it cleans out inventory and it feels like we're making a lot of money," she said. "But afterward things let up. So it basically balances out."

One area the weather has little effect on, it seems, is contracted services to local retailers - like window cleaners. Caught between panes of glass, window washer Anthony offered his assessment on a recently sunny Winter afternoon.

"We come out to our customers in any weather," he said. "It doesn't make any difference. Of course, it's nicer to wash windows when the sun is shining like this!"