DOOR COUNTY (NBC 26) — On Friday morning , Door County saw its first snowfall of the winter season. Some places, like Egg Harbor, saw as much as one inch.
For local businesses, that first snow was both a surprise and a signal in preparing for colder and more inclement weather ahead.
"It's a little bit of a shock, (a) little bit early," said Colin Pustaver-Olson, director of customer experience/taphouse operations at The Thirsty Cow Taphouse in Baileys Harbor. "But at the same time, it gets us excited for all of the winter fun that we're going to have up here."
"It wasn't surprising," said Joan Johnson, who owns Sunrise on Main Boutique, which has a location in Egg Harbor. "It's a little bit early for me, but (it's) to be expected."
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Last March, a blizzard blasted Northeast Wisconsin with more than two feet of snow.
Johnson says she closed Sunrise on Main Boutique's year-round location in Green Bay during the blizzard.
"I think we actually extended our hours to make up for it," she said. "It's part of doing business. You realize that's going to happen from time to time, and you just hope that you make up for those lost sales."
Pustaver-Olson says The Thirsty Cow Taphouse was also closed during the blizzard. But he is optimistic that business will continue over the coming months.
"We're right on the intersection of two of the main snowmobile routes (County Roads E and A)," he said. "At least when we have enough snow for the trails to be open, we do have a lot of business coming through on that side."
But forecasters are predicting warmer and drier conditions with an El Nino expected this winter.
Pustaver-Olson and Johnson say that suits them just fine.
"I do like that it's not going to be nearly as cold," Pustaver-Olson said.
"I love that, personally," Johnson said.
While they welcome a warmer forecast, they also said they would like to see some snow.
