Title: Was the Storm Good or Bad For Your Business?
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Amina Srna: It's The Brian Lehrer Show on WNYC. I'm Amina Srna filling in for Brian today. To end the show today, let's try again with a call-in we never got to with Brian yesterday. Call in and tell us if your livelihood has been affected by the weekend storm or the ongoing sub-freezing temperatures, yes, for better or for worse. Give us a call now at 212-433-WNYC. That's 212-433-9692. Whose business picked up, wine stores maybe, cannabis businesses, car washes, snow shovelers? Whose businesses suffered, restaurants and bars maybe, brick and mortar stores? Tell us your story on either side of that at 212-433-WNYC. That's 212-433-9692.
Have things adjusted as people have figured out that we're stuck with the cold and how to wrap up and get around? Help us report this story on your very local winter economy. 212-433-WNYC. That's 212-433-9692. Maybe you own a hardware store. Is it sold out of shovels and salt? Was the event you were to cater maybe canceled? Heating oil dealers and boiler repairment, are you too busy? Are there more discounts for theater tickets? Tell us how it's going for your business at 212-433-WNYC. That's 212-433-9692.
What does this weather mean for taxis and rideshare drivers? Is driving more stressful, but maybe more in demand landscapers? Do you switch to snow blowing from leaf blowing? Tell us about your business. 212-433-WNYC. That's 212-433-9692. According to NOAA records, we've had almost 14 inches of snow in New York City so far this year. That's way above the 2 or so inches in 2021, but far below the 60-plus inches of 1996.
Was this enough for you and your business, or are you hoping for more snow this year? Maybe the groundhog will tell us what to expect on Monday, but meanwhile, has this weather been good or bad for you financially? 212-433-WNYC. That's 212-433-9692. We'll take your calls right after this.
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Amina Srna: It's The Brian Lehrer Show on WNYC. I'm Amina Srna filling in for Brian today. We're talking about how the storm and the cold snap have affected your business and your livelihoods. We still have a few more lines open. 212-433-WNYC. That's 212-433-9692. Here's Alexandra in Brooklyn. Hi, Alexandra. You're on WNYC.
Alexandra: Hello. Thanks for having me.
Amina Srna: Thanks for calling in. What you got?
Alexandra: Well, my business is Lavender Blues Music. It's an early enrichment program for babies and toddlers. On Saturday, I had to cancel my class because of the cold, too cold for babies and toddlers to be outside. Today, I've had people calling in sick-- Well, not sick. Just calling out of class because they can't push their strollers through the streets to get to the bus or to get down the sidewalk to get to where I am.
Amina Srna: Oh boy. Thank you so much for your call. Here is another kid-related text. Fun local economy observation. This listener writes, "In Washington Heights, our local bakery was an aprés-sled destination with sleds lined up inside and kids warming up." Let's take another call. Kasid in Brooklyn, you're on WNYC. Hi, [pronunciation of Kasid].
Kasid: Hi, how are you doing? It's Kasid Flow from Brooklyn.
Amina Srna: [pronunciation of Kasid], excuse me.
Kasid: Just want to let you know, long-time listener, first time calling and getting through.
Amina Srna: Thank you, Kasid.
Kasid: I'm actually out in Brooklyn right now walking the streets. I just wanted, you guys, to let you know my business actually, we do event promotions. It's called [unintelligible 00:04:46]fm.com. We do event promotions and hosting music radio station, and basically, this weekend we were shut down. We have a spot out in Long Island where we do an event from Friday, Saturday, Sunday. It's just been shut down. No traffic, no movement. It really impacted the business. Everybody wants to have a good time, but I guess you can't really do that when it's snowing, you know,-
Amina Srna: Yes.
Kasid: -but as long as everybody was safe. The streets haven't been plowed. I don't know what Mamdani is doing. I know if Bloomberg and Cuomo was there, that shit would have been [unintelligible 00:05:20].
Amina Srna: Kasid, thank you so much for your call. Let's go to Anthony in Brooklyn whose business I think has unfortunately picked up. Hi, Anthony. You're on WNYC.
Anthony: Hi. Thank you for having me. Yes, my business, I'm a paramedic for the fire department in New York City. It's picked up with the snow. Normally in New York City, EMS does about 5,000 calls a day now, which is substantially higher, ever since the pandemic. We've been up in those numbers, but the snow and everything else, I think people are calling 911 more. The cold emergencies have gone up. We've been really busy.
Amina Srna: Oh boy.
Anthony: I guess I'm calling, so this way, we can get the message out that if you don't really need 911, if you can hold off, if it's just a cold or something very minor, maybe wait until the snow abates a little.
Amina Srna: Anthony, thank you so much for that tip, and I hope it does slow down for you out there. Bob in Brewster, we only have 30 seconds left for you. What you got?
Bob: Okay. My group, Old Exit 19, had a show scheduled in Mahopac for Sunday. It was a big breakout. We were supposed to have 100 people there, and we got snowed out.
Amina Srna: Oh no, I'm so sorry to hear that, Bob. Thank you so much for calling us though. Let's see. Maybe one more. Jeff in Katonah, can you make it real fast?
Jeff: Sure. Hi, this is Jeff in Katonah. I work in climate change-oriented companies. The great news of the storm is all our calls are happening later in the day, so we've been cross-country skiing in the Pound Ridge Reservation every day, and it's been phenomenal. You feel like you're in Yellowstone National Park.
Amina Srna: Good for skiing. Jeff, thank you so much for your call, and thank you all for your calls today. Good luck with the cold and lingering snow piles. Check on your friends, your family members, and your neighbors. I'm Amina Srna, this is The Brian Lehrer Show on WNYC. Stay tuned for All Of It.
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