Some Central Oregon businesses see a boost from lingering late-winter snowfall
From the positives - ski gear, snowshoe tours - to the collision repair shops and snow-clearing businesses
(Update: Adding video, comments from Powder House, snowplowing business, Kendall Collision Center)
BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) -- Snow has fallen in Bend at least 25 days since the start of 2023, according to the national monitoring service Certified Snow Totals. For some local businesses, it's a welcome boost.
Ski shops like Powder House are hopeful the winter conditions will extend the skiing, snowboarding and winter recreation season.
"Everything in our store is all going to be 20 percent off -- select stuff is going to be higher, but everything in the store is 20 percent off," Christian, a manager at Powder House, explained Friday.
"Now we're getting a bunch of snow, and just like a lot of the locals coming in, getting powder skis, boot bindings, skis, clothing will always have a space here," he added.
Meanwhile, those who make money removing all that snow from business parking lots, streets and sidewalks are seeing a heavy demand for their services, as are others who find profitable green in all that white.
"I'm in my 32nd hour dealing with this latest storm," Matt Matwich, the owner of Mid Oregon Snow Removal Services, said Friday morning. He was clearing parking lots at Walmart and Albertsons when we caught up with him.
"We do residentials, do a lot of vacation rental places," he said. "We do a lot of on-call stuff, you know, people are traveling and say, 'Hey, I'm going to be home, I'm going to be in Sunriver, I'm gonna do this kind of stuff,' and we'll take care of them if they call."
While his main clients own commercial lots, during the busy season, Matwich is prepared to take on almost any job.
"Our minimum to show up is $50, just because we have to get there and get everything set," he said. "The price has only gone up a little bit, since we have to pay for the product, ice melt, fuel has gone up, that kind of stuff."
Matwich does have company on his long but profitable days, with his furry best friend Casper riding alongside him.
The number of cars in for repairs at Kendall Collision Center indicate it's dealing with the sometimes unfortunate outcomes of tough driving conditions. Ben Nolan, collision manager at Kendall, says the shop sees a fairly predictable influx of customers when snow arrives.
"We definitely see a huge increase in estimates and vehicle repairs," Nolan said. "We do about 300 estimates a month. Lately we've been doing about 20 estimates a day, so it definitely increases as the snow goes."
Even with that, Nolan says repairs can usually happen in a week's time.
At Wanderlust Tours, the recent snowfall has them looking to extend the season for their snowshoeing adventure offerings.
"Business had already been good, but this will make it even better," an employee said.
