Henry Burton, owner of Fremont Place Book Co., in his Seattle store in December. Heavy snow both helped and hurt his business this holiday season.Henry Burton will never know whether the snow that blanketed Seattle during the holiday season was a blessing or a curse. The unusually heavy snowfall and cold temperatures left many Seattleites snowbound for days right around Christmas and Hanukkah. That meant Burton, owner of Fremont Place Book Co., may have lost customers who would normally have driven to his independent bookstore. But he also gained some who were left to do their holiday shopping on foot and discovered his shop, in Seattle's Fremont neighborhood, for the first time. Some of those people have since returned to his store, leaving Burton hopeful that he has gained some new regulars.In the end, Burton saw business fall by 6.5 percent for December from a year ago, although he was able to bring in enough money to pay his bills and even start the year with a bit of savings. Still, he’s not yet sure whether he’ll be writing himself a paycheck this year.
Friday, January 9, 2009
Small retailers struggle with recession, weather
Henry Burton, owner of Fremont Place Book Co., in his Seattle store in December. Heavy snow both helped and hurt his business this holiday season.Henry Burton will never know whether the snow that blanketed Seattle during the holiday season was a blessing or a curse. The unusually heavy snowfall and cold temperatures left many Seattleites snowbound for days right around Christmas and Hanukkah. That meant Burton, owner of Fremont Place Book Co., may have lost customers who would normally have driven to his independent bookstore. But he also gained some who were left to do their holiday shopping on foot and discovered his shop, in Seattle's Fremont neighborhood, for the first time. Some of those people have since returned to his store, leaving Burton hopeful that he has gained some new regulars.In the end, Burton saw business fall by 6.5 percent for December from a year ago, although he was able to bring in enough money to pay his bills and even start the year with a bit of savings. Still, he’s not yet sure whether he’ll be writing himself a paycheck this year.
