Some Sikeston businesses benefit from ice storm despite no power to most of town

SIKESTON — As people and government continue to assess the damage, the local business community is looking at whether it gained or lost from the storm.

"Depending on what your business was, it was good," said Missy Marshall, executive director of the Sikeston Area Chamber of Commerce. Over the past week, she has talked to several businesses about their experiences.

For instance, restaurants and any store that carried storm supplies seemed to do well, she said.

"And at the Laundromat here, from what I understand, you couldn't get in the parking spot at one point, it was so busy," said Marshall.

Some businesses worked on generators until power was restored. Others did things the "old-fashioned" way, calculating prices by hand and requiring cash or check for payment.

For instance, Lynn McKinnie, co-owner of McKinnie Bestway in Sikeston, recalled that his son and partner, Terry, went into the store the morning of Jan. 28 to check on things. A customer called wanting some supplies and the younger McKinnie said he'd wait for them.

"And when they came, a whole bunch came," said Lynn McKinnie. "We got covered up." The store ended up staying open, without power, until the sun went down, with staff figuring totals with battery-operated calculators.

After Wednesday, McKinnie's did not reopen until Monday. That was a good day for business, as were the Monday and Tuesday before the storm hit.

McKinnie said that although business was busier than usual he still "doesn't know whether we came out even or not." That's due to the days the store was closed, as well as lost product.

Despite not having power restored until after closing time on Monday, Slusher Farm and Home was open for business as usual since 7 a.m. Jan. 28, said co-owner Cindy Farrenberg.

"We worked with flashlights, no heat, electricity or electric cash registers," she said. "But we were busy all the time."

As some trucks had problems bringing supplies in, workers even made trips out of town to pick up supplies, including to Orgill in Memphis, Tenn.

"We had propane, propane heaters, kerosene flashlights, lamp oil ... anything we could find for people," said Farrenberg. "It was really emergency items that we were dealing with."

Farrenberg said the tire department was closed, because they didn't have power to run it. "So we gained (business) in some areas but lost in others," she said.

Walgreens was among the first businesses to regain power, with electricity restored on Jan. 28, the day after the storm hit. Spokeswoman Vivica Vergara said the days after the storm were "by far this was the busiest they've ever been, mainly because they were one of the only stores open at the time."

Vergara said that most customers shopped for "the basics — bread, eggs, candles, charcoals." Initially, the store was almost wiped out, but received more supplies that evening.

Over a four-day period, there were a few times when there wasn't power at Walgreens, said Vergara. But that didn't stop the sales. "They had to actually walk around and escort the customers one-by-one and calculate things, then (customers) paid with cash," she said.

On the same grid as Walgreens, Buffalo Wild Wings was also hopping with business when it opened Jan. 28, the day following the outages.

"It was chaotic and crazy," recalled Laura Johnson, assistant manager of the bar and grill.

Sales have probably tripled over the past week or so, and still remain higher than usual. "We have not seen a dull day yet," said Johnson. "Our sales have really rocketed."

Several linemen, tree trimmers and other contract workers came to Buffalo Wild Wings, and the Super Bowl was good for business. Johnson also said she's noticed new customers — and hopes their experience at the restaurant will lead to repeat business.

With all the demand, some workers have gotten overtime and a boost in their paychecks, said Johnson. She also noted that the restaurant is able to serve more people, as the city of Sikeston gave permission for it to stay open, despite the 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. curfew in place.

Nearby, Jay's Krispy Fried Chicken had power restored the morning of Jan. 28.

"It was hectic," said Patty Katsantonis, owner of Jay's Krispy Fried Chicken. "We were really busy."

Katsantonis said the long lines and being short-handed led to longer waiting times, but customers were patient. "They didn't mind waiting to get their orders as long as they got some food," she said. "I think we fed all the towns around here, there were just a lot of people coming in."

Business remains busier than normal, said Katsantonis, although it has tapered off a bit. She said that, as of now, she isn't sure how much sales increased. "I'm just glad we could be here to accommodate and help out," she said.

The hotel industry is also experiencing a spike in business. Carla Norman, general manager of the Drury Inn and Pear Tree Inn in Sikeston, said that those hotels and others continue to be full, due to housing electrical workers and tree trimmers.

"We had a lot of local people, too, in the beginning," she said. Although the Drury hotels and others did lose power, that didn't close them. "The rooms were still warm," she said.

Several hotels within about a two-hour radius of Sikeston were booked, too. Norman said the nearest hotels with open rooms were Festus in the north, and Memphis, Tenn., in the south, through the weekend.

But business wasn't good for everyone. Bo's Bar B Q was out of power — and business — for a full week. "That equates to pretty close to 25 percent of a month," said owner Keith Colley.

That leads to a few issues. "You lose some profit," said Colley. "And it also disturbs the cash flow of the business, so it's hard to pay the payrolls and keep the bills up."

He lost some product, which wasn't kept cool enough due to the outage. Although insurance will help cover that loss, there is a deductible, noted Colley. He was also fortunate to have a good relationship with the owners at Jay's Krispy Fried Chicken, and took some product there. "We were able to help them out with some stuff we needed to get out of the freezers and they were running low on," he said.

Employees, who couldn't clock any time, were adversely affected, too. "It completely disrupts their ability to earn for their families," said Colley.

But several businesses, including Bo's, have had a lot of business and support since reopening. "We had a great day Wednesday (our first day back,) and we're having a good day today," Colley said on Thursday. He said a lot of customers likely want to help support the store but were also "just hungry to get back in here."

Apart from business hurt due to no electricity, some specific areas saw slumping sales. "Clothing sales are not good, unless it was something warm," said Marshall. "And boutiques are feeling the slump, because no one is in the mood for that shopping."

Marshall said that with generator sales, fuel, lawn cleanup and other unexpected expenses, people may not have the money for extras or luxuries. "It's just going to take some time (for business to bounce back to normal,)" she said.