Small Business Saturday means lots of customers shopping and looking for the right bargains. The threat of severe weather is bringing in some extra business for some merchants.
Larsen Ace Hardware is one of the several small business within West Hartford. Their store has seen lots of business within the past two days.
Dan Hinman is the store manager and believes the combination of severe weather and Small Business Saturday is creating a huge boost in sales.
“Small Business Saturday is usually a busy day for us especially in the area that we’re in,” said Hinman. “We’ve been seeing a lot of people come ahead of time and we expect to see more customers depending on the severity of the snowstorm.”
Restocking the shelves with essentials like snow shovels, gloves, hand warmers, ice scrappers and de-icers have become a top priority.
“We sell a lot of the snow materials if we have bad weather coming and we usually have a repeat of sells with the same items,” said Hinman. “We look at our inventory to make sure that we have appropriate levels this time of year.”
Gina Killian is a Connecticut native and just recently became an homeowner.
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“I wanted to make sure I could pick up my materials like a shovel and salt,” said Killian. “Everyone is going to be out shopping later so I wanted to get in and out while they were still here.”
Michael and Dorothy Burnett are planning ahead for their son who will be returning to college to finish up his semester.
“We’re getting everything he needs before returning back to school,” said Dorothy Burnett. “We want to make sure he at least has a shovel in his car so he can get around at school.”
Michael Burnett is recommending drivers and homeowners to take precautions before the snow arrives.
“Clean out all the flower pots, move benches and just blow off the driveway,” said Burnett. “Be safe and use common sense.
Hinman is also recommending Nutmeggers to plan ahead before the winter season.
“You definitely want to make sure you know which shovels you need,” said Hinman. “If we’re getting a lot of storms, be aware of ice damns forming on the roof.”
