ICY SIDEWALKS have made walking to businesses in downtown Versailles a challenge since a winter storm hit Kentucky on the weekend of Jan. 24-25. By Monday and Tuesday of this week, temperatures climbing well-above freezing led to a lot of the snow and ice melting. (Photo by Bob Vlach)
The winter storm and its icy aftermath have been “very impactful” on local businesses, according to Emily Downey, president of the Woodford County Chamber of Commerce and executive director of Woodford County Tourism. She said people have not been getting out to have their vehicles serviced or hair done until the weather warms, which is why this cold and snowy weather is negatively affecting so many sectors of the business community.
Businesses are also being really creative with online orders and deliveries to accommodate customers who have been unable to get out of the house, Downey said.
She said January is traditionally a really hard month for businesses because people are paying off their bills and not spending in the weeks after the Christmas holiday. So, she said last month’s winter storm was a double-whammy for business owners because people are staying home.
That is especially true for older people, like her grandmother, who are terrified of falling, Downey said. “She is taking extra precautions until everything is cleared and melted,” Downey added.
Troy resident Peggy Carter Seal hasn’t driven her car since the winter storm hit Woodford County Jan. 24. Her road, Troy Pike, was ice-covered, so she couldn’t get out, and hasn’t gotten out – except when she’s gotten a ride to the grocery store from her nephew Patrick Shryock. She got another from Nat Colten, Woodford County Conservation District operations manager, for a WCCD meeting.
Seal, who was also without electricity for a while, said she’s thankful for friends, family and neighbors like Deputy Sheriff Larry “Soapy” Sutherland for being there when she needed their help. So, she said she’ll deliver a sweet treat – bourbon balls – to him when she ventures out again.
Until then, Seal said she’s heeded the advice of her nephew Patrick to not get off her porch because “it’s just a solid sheet of ice – anywhere you step …”
Seal also called on older friends to check on them and see if they need help. “Everybody’s just ready to get out…,” she said. Her church, Troy Presbyterian, hasn’t had in-person services for three weeks, “and that is very hard.” Her women’s group at church has also not met, so “everybody’s wanted to visit on the phone.”
With the end of bitterly cold temperatures coming this week, Downey said the business community is looking forward to an anticipates a “glorious” rebound with more folks venturing out again.