Mild winter effects local businesses

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. (WLFI) - Most people in the Lafayette area have enjoyed a warmer winter with less snow and not as many bitter cold temperatures. For some local businesses, it's been a joy too. For others, not so much.

Winter weather-related products were found crowding the shelves at Ace Hardware Thursday afternoon. What appeared to be a section of preparation gear for a brutal winter, was actually a section of leftovers from this year's mild winter.
    
"Right now, it's affected our sales," Ace Hardware Manager Tim Ginter said. "We've probably sold thousands of dollars less in things like ice melter, shovels, and sleds"

The mild winter has even prompted one local business to roll out the spring-time gear a little early.
    
"We've got all of our garden seeds in packages out," Rural King Assistant Manager Barry Boehle said. "We've got our mulch for landscaping. It's coming a lot early, I think, because of the mild winter."

While clearly the warm winter has been a significant blow to the bank account for hardware stores, a local ice cream shop is dipping into profits.

"Due to the fact that we're totally temperature-related, and we have loyal customers that will buy ice cream in the winter, but when its temperatures in the 40s and 50s this winter, our sales are definitely up," Vice President David Carlson of Silver Dipper said. "It's definitely been one of our better winters in the last ten years."
    
And boy, did it show. While at the Silver Dipper, customer after customer kept coming in enjoying another February day with temperatures nearly 10 degrees above average Thursday.
    
Though the mild winter is proving to be a financial burden to some, it's a sweet deal for others.