Lessons for Small Businesses From Hurricane Irene Small Business Trends
With the exception of July 4th weekend, the upcoming Labor Day holiday is usually the most profitable week of the year for a wide range of small businesses. For countless amusement parks, boardwalk arcades and seaside vendors, the week leading into Labor Day represents one last hurrah for the season. After all, who is going to play ski ball or purchase a hermit crab cage once school begins?
Businesses catering to higher-end clientele, such as restaurants and nightclubs in places like the Hamptons, for instance, rely on the last week of summer for one last big infusion of cash. If trains and highways are not back in working order quickly, people may opt to remain in New York City or look for another destination to play during the long holiday weekend.
Hurricane Irene’s destructive path along the eastern seaboard of the United States has also changed the fortunes of many small business owners who are not in seasonal industries. Some, such as Kilkenny House, an Irish pub in Cranford, New Jersey, have suffered major damage. In the aftermath of the storm, waters filled the entire basement of the pub and covered more than a foot of the restaurant’s dining room. Owner Barry O’Donovan hesitates to predict when he will reopen, but he will likely not be up and running before his annual “Half-way to St. Patrick’s Day Party” (September 17th), one of the biggest days on the calendar.
