REHOBOTH BEACH, Del. - The icy roads and a snowy landscape made for difficult driving conditions this weekend. Many on Delmarva opted to stay inside, leaving small businesses out in the cold.
According to the Rehoboth Beach - Dewey Beach Chamber of Commerce a visitor a day means at least $100 for local businesses. Recent harsh snow and wind lead to the restaurant Egg claiming it only saw half of the business it was used to for a weekend in January.
"I know a lot of times it's easy to order stuff online and get food delivered or drive thru's. But the small businesses, the boutiques, the restaurants, all of it, it's important, it pays bills." said Christie Husband, Manager at Egg.
Getting customers in the door this weekend was hard enough but the chamber of commerce pointed out that the roads were no picnic for employees either,
"Traffic was nonexistent. It was just too snowy, too slippery, and a little bit too scary to get out there. So I'm sure the businesses had an impact on them too with employees. And the employees are already at a critical level." said Carol Everhart, President and CEO for the Rehoboth Beach - Dewey Beach Chamber of Commerce.
As the snow melts and people get back on the road, places like Egg said the extra support helps them clean up the mess and get out new orders. In fact Egg said the winter season is the best time to come out to avoid busy crowds.
When going to support a small business, keep in mind that winter hours may be in effect. For Egg, that means being closed Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, but open the rest of the week from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m.