By Paris Rain, FOX23.com News Staff
TULSA, Okla. — After days of freezing temperatures and icy roads, small businesses and indoor attractions across Tulsa are beginning to recover from last week’s winter storm.
Several businesses were forced to close temporarily when conditions made it unsafe for employees and customers to travel, cutting into sales and slowing foot traffic.
On Cherry Street, Peace of Mind Bookstore, a longtime Tulsa staple, said weather-related disruptions are nothing new.
“Winter storms come and go, but they’ve been here for 50 years,” said one of the bookstore’s employees, who added that adapting to these sorts of challenges is part of staying open long term.
Peggy O’Neil, another employee at Peace of Mind, said the historic building struggled to stay warm during the freezing temperatures, forcing the bookstore to shut down for several days.
“Oh my gosh, it was quiet. Of course, as you might expect. We actually closed for a couple of days because it just couldn’t keep the building warm enough really because it’s a very old building. It’s at least 100 years old.”
Now that temperatures are rising, O’Neil said business is slowly returning back to normal.
“I would say the winter storms definitely slow things down and we’re getting back to the normal pace of people coming in. They can sit around and check out the books and make themselves comfortable, warm up.”
While some shoppers waited for conditions to improve, others looked for ways to get out of the house once roads cleared.
Indoor attractions like Slick City Action Park also felt the effects of the storm.
Assistant Manager Kevin Williams said the park had to close for the weekend due to icy roads and staffing issues.
“We were closed down for the weekend with roads being messy, employees not able to make it to work.”
As conditions improved, Williams said business picked back up, especially with families eager to get out after days stuck indoors.
“We have a lot of first time customers here and also we have a lot of ongoing customers. We love seeing families come here, spend time with the kids, spend time with the family, get out of the house and kind of have a whole day, family fun day.”
Business owners said community support is essential as they continue to recover from weather-related disruptions and encourage residents to shop local as Tulsa continues to thaw.
