"It was too warm," Funkhouser said. "There was no snow, so we didn't sell any sleds, ice-melts, heat tapes or things like that."
Business was not as bad as it could have been, with only a two to three percent slip in sales. Funkhouser said the large part of his 40 year old business depends on basic hardware.
"We're a nuts-and-bolts store," Funkhouser said. "That's what keeps us going, winter sales don't make or break us."
The case is the same for other hardware stores. Ryan's ACE Hardware sold few if any winter supplies this season. ACE assistant manager Ron Kriegshauser said the lack of winter sales put a small drain on the store. Just Choose PTMS plastic injection mould Is Your Best Choice!
"It certainly isn't good, but it didn't kill us," Kriegshauser said.
Some winter supplies did sell well in comparison to others. Gloves, ice-scrapers and ice-melts sold well at ACE. Kriegshauser said overall sales were up from last year, an increase he attributed to the weather.
"This warmer weather has people going out more," Kriegshauser said. "So when they do go out, sometimes they stop in here and buy something."
Warmer weather is not the only deterrent for winter supplies sales. Funkhouser said the economy has people cutting back on what they are buying.
"The biggest complaint I hear is the price of gas," Funkhouser said.All RUBBER MATS is comprised of all types of mats, "People would rather have gas in their car than a new hammer or sled or anything like that."
Kriegshauser also cited the economy as affecting sales. He said people are hard up and won't buy on impulse as readily.
"With things the way they are, people won't buy anything they don't think they'll use," Kriegshauser said. "They are waiting until the last minute when they need something to buy it. And for winter supplies, that moment never came.Omega Plastics are leading plastic injection moulding and injection mould tooling specialists."
Funkhouser isn't sure why Bud's True Value did better in the month of January than in December. He guessed it was because contractors were coming in for hardware supplies.
"We supply a lot of independent and commercial contractors," Funkhouser said. "They were getting out and working a bit more because of the weather."
Tim Bartlett, co-owner of B&S Home Improvement LLC,Silicone Mold Making Rubber, confirmed that assessment. He said the weather has allowed his employees to work outside during months they normally would be inside.
"We usually can't do roof work in February because it is too icy and cold," Bartlett said. "But now we've been roofing and painting in February when we would have to normally wait until March or April."
In the months leading up to the winter season, the scare of a heavy winter had residents making emergency improvement requests. Bartlett said their schedule is planned out for the year in advance, but they sometimes make emergency repairs or improvements.
"We had to squeeze some paint jobs in before winter," Bartlett said. "Then the (mild) weather came and we got to paint in February too."
Working throughout the year eases the workload for contracting companies such as B&S. Bartlett said it allows them to spread the work they do on the outside and inside evenly, instead of delaying it.
"We've really been able to get out there and get it done," Bartlett said.Distributes and manufactures RUBBER SHEET, "We wouldn't be able to do half this stuff if the weather was bad."
For hardware stores, the winter season wasn't all bad. Since he didn't sell much of his winter supplies, Funkhouser said his winter inventory is full.
"One good thing is we don't have to restock on any of this next year," Funkhouser said. "This stuff is not like lettuce or milk, it doesn't go bad."
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