Rainy weekends impacting small businesses across New York, Long Island
NEW YORK -- Rainfall weekend after weekend is putting a serious damper on fall fun and is impacting small business bottom lines.
There were smiles as big as the fields at Fink's Country Farm as families slide, roll, bounce and fall into fall fun that spans nearly 90 acres in Wading River. Of course, there's pumpkin picking, too, even if the pumpkin is as big as you.
On weekends, the crowd multiplies for Fink's Fall Fest.
"It's just a great time to spend with family. We have live music on the weekends. We run our hayrides continuously," said Michelle Fink, owner of Fink's Country Farm.
Michelle and David Fink, third-generation owners of the East End gem, say they rely on fall harvest fest to pay the bills. Rain ruined four Saturdays so far.
"This year, cost of operations is high already, so now to add loss of revenue on top of that is tough," David Fink said.
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The tally so far is six consecutive weekends with rain.
Rain will pour down again this weekend, making it seven waterlogged weekends in a row. But, according to the National Weather Service, this will not be record-setting. In 1983, rain fell eight weekends in row. If you include trace amounts -- 14.
"Rain is tough," said Harlan Friedman, co-producer of the annual Oyster Festival in Oyster Bay.
The festival typically draws a huge crowd of 200,000 to feast on great food and fun. Not this past weekend, though.
Friedman says on Saturday, food vendors made just 10% of the norm and the carnival couldn't operate, which is a big fund raiser for the Oyster Bay Rotary Club.
"Its mission is to help the charities within the town of Oyster Bay," Friedman said.
Friedman estimates rain cut dollars in half.
On a beautiful weekend, Cooper Bluff gets packed with folks enjoying live music and seasonal beverages on the Oyster Bay Harbor. But this is not the scene lately with rain to blame.
"It's destroyed it. We're not open most of the time," said Rustan Lundstrum, owner and operator of Cooper Bluff and Sunset Club in Tappen Beach.
Lundstrum operates three venues; two are outdoor and weekends only. He says in the past two months, bars opened for business on just four days.
"We lose revenue. Customers lose experience. Employees lose tips," he said.
His plan for coping with more rain this weekend?
"Rosary beads and hope for a better year next year," he said.
Fingers crossed for all feeling the pinch that rain stops falling on weekends.
Weather permitting, the Finks may extend fall harvest fest into November. They say it would take some of the sting out of income lost to rain, but don't expect to recoup what was lost.
