Some Storm-Impacted Businesses Waiting for Electricity

At the intersection of Post and Frenchtown Roads, the employees of Salks Ace Hardware and Marine looked out at their name glowing on the entrance sign and watched customers use the Citizen’s Bank drive through. But their store was being powered by a generator out front and the rest of the plaza was also without power.

The store did a big business in generators before the storm and is still selling them, with more shipments coming in. Almost all of the units on the way are spoken for. The minute a shipment arrives, store employees starting calling the names on their list.

Chain saws were big sellers before the storm, and now customers are coming in for oil and replacement chains as they cut through the forest of trees on the ground.

Meanwhile, on lights were on across the street and nearby on the same side of the streeet, but in the heart of Main Street, Greenwich Plaza, which houses CVS, Starbucks, Webster Bank and Starbucks among others, only CVS was open, powered by a generator. Credit card machines weren’t working, so it was cash or check only.

At Waterford Laundromat the owner was sitting out front, telling customers who showed up on a regular basis that he would let them know when they could get their wash done.

Right on schedule at 3:00 pm the Rhode Island Blood Bank’s mobile unit pulled up at Starbucks for a scheduled blood drive. The unit is self contained and has everything needed for donations. But the customer flow they were hoping for from Starbucks was not around.

Down the street from Starbucks, the consignment stores Preamble, Indigo Design and Karma Couture were also without power. Karma Couture and Indigo Path were open, as was Thorpe’s Liquors, which was running on a generator.

To the north, across the street from Greenwich Plaza, Centreville Bank was open, using their own generator, large enough for them to provide all regular customer services.  They were closed on Monday, but in full operation Tuesday.  

Next door, Prudential Gammons Realty at 461 Main had electrical service and it was business as usual.

Businesses across the street were without power Sunday, but back in business Monday. At Back to Basics, a natural food store at 500 Main, owner Bob Hartman spent Monday throwing out thawed items from his refrigerated units. He said he had to throw out $7,000 to $8,000 worth of food.

By 4 p.m. power was restored to Greenwich Plaza and other Main Street businesses.