Local

Few Businesses Open as Residents Stay Put

February 12th, 2014

Atlanta residents seem to be heeding state officials’ warnings to stay off the roads, for the most part. Some people are only going outside to temporarily let their pets out. In Midtown, streets were quiet and many businesses were closed. But one shop was open for business.

Hear the broadcast version of this story.

Many Atlantans didn’t have to work Wednesday. But the crowd at Dancing Goats Coffee Bar was thinner than usual, according to barista Jonathan Lane.

“It’s been very slow,” Lane said. “But, I was sort of surprised at the amount of people that have come.”

Lane said it’s good business to be open when others aren’t. And, because he only lives five blocks away, he didn’t mind coming to work.

“If I weren’t here, I’d just be sitting at home,” he said. “So, it’s you know, make money, hang out, see people.”

The coffee shop was also one of the few businesses open in the area during the last snowstorm. Greg Gainwell, another employee, said customers aren’t necessarily surprised they’re open, but they’re glad.

“I think gratitude is a great word for it,” he said. “We get a lot of phone calls. People are really happy that we’re open.”

A smaller crowd means no one has to haggle for the limited seating in the coffee shop. But customers, like Peter Calabrese, came for other reasons.

“It’s across the street; it’s open,” Calabrese said. “[We] figured if they were brave enough to get out, we’d come out and support them.”

For the most part, people seemed to take this round of the storm in stride. Don Batisky, another customer, said he’s prepared for what forecasters have called a “catastrophic” event.

“There’s a chance I might have to go to work, but I’m going try to handle things by phone or computer and hope the power stays on,” he said.

Meteorologists expect conditions to worsen. So, Dancing Goats says the shop won’t be open Thursday.