Winter giving economic boost

SANDPOINT - Winter's descent on North Idaho brought frigid weather, howling winds and piles of snow, but it also ushered in an economic boost for a number of area business.

Grant Merwin, owner of Merwin's Hardware, said shovels, roof rakes, deicer and snow blowers are flying off the shelves of his downtown Sandpoint store.

Because North Idaho winters can be so erratic, Merwin said trying guess which items will be hot sellers is a futile exercise.

"We try to adjust with the weather," Merwin said. "You try to plan for stuff like this, but you really can't."

Like Merwin's, Less Schwab Tire Center in Ponderay counts winter as one of the busiest times of  the year. Store manager Larry Enright said sales on tires, chains and batteries have been brisk since early December.

"We've definitely been busy. Chain sales have probably been a bit above average," Enright said. "We're pretty much even with last year's sales. We haven't seen a drop off at all, and last year was a record."

Despite the weak economy, Enright said sales on winter items generally remain solid because weather conditions make them necessity purchases.

"People waited to buy tires this year. There's no doubt that people were nervous about spending money, but then this weather came in and forced them to," Enright said.

City snow plows are diligently working to clear streets, but roadways will continue to narrow with each heavy snow. To help ensure proper street width requirements, the city is strictly enforcing its parking law that requires  residents to park on the even side of the street on even days and the odd side of the street on odd days.

"People need to honor the odd and even parking requirements. If they don't, the vehicle will be subject to being towed," said Capt. Rick Bailey of the Sandpoint Police Department. "They need to take it seriously. If the streets get too narrow it will be difficult to get emergency vehicles to the places they need to go."