There is one natural body of water in Madison right now that is not frozen - and it's the only lake you might walk into accidentally, having never heard of it
.
Marsh Shapiro, owner of the Nitty Gritty on Frances Street, jokingly named the vast pool of water behind his restaurant's driveway Lake Nitty Gritty."" The pool is just one piece of evidence that this winter has been unkind to downtown businesses.
""What word can describe how this winter has been?"" Shapiro said.
""Detrimental.""
Shapiro, a Madison native, has owned the Gritty since it opened 39 years ago. He said Madison has experienced more profitable winters in his time at the restaurant.
""This is one of the worst winters I've ever seen,"" he said.
The Gritty is known for its parties and birthday celebrations. But due to the severity of recent weather, the number of people choosing to celebrate their special day at the Gritty has declined.
""Not that many people are going out,"" Shapiro said.
The Gritty has been forced to spend hundreds of dollars on ice melt in order to make the sidewalks safe for people, according to Shapiro. He said employees have had work hard to keep the sidewalks clear in order to avoid lawsuits and keep patrons safe.
The Gritty has had a leaky roof for most of the winter, and Shapiro said they lose some table accommodations on warmer days when ice on the roof melts.
Additionally, Shapiro said the restaurant would likely have to redo their wooden floors for the second time in two years because of the slush and sand carried into the restaurant on customers' shoes. The project would cost thousands of dollars.
As for ""Lake Nitty Gritty,"" the inconvenient body of water caused major problems with transporting products and taking care of waste management. The Gritty, however, is not the only place having difficulties this winter.
""There has been a noticeable difference in the crowds in most of the downtown area,"" Shapiro said.
One block away from the Gritty, business has been lagging at Ian's Pizza, according to Office Manager Staci Fritz.
""People don't want to go outside and who can blame them? Our sales have been low and things usually pick up after [Winter] Break, but that has not happened,"" Fritz said.
The Ian's Pizza located on Frances Street has experienced two floods in the past month - one of which closed the restaurant on Feb. 24. The floods were caused by the blockage of sewer pipes and the bursting of other pipes within the restaurant.
According to Fritz, neighboring restaurant Dotty Dumplings got the worst of the latest flood.
""An amazing amount of water came down in about an hour's time,"" she said.
Fortunately for Ian's, their insurance covered most of the damages. But insurance could not do anything to help low sales during what many call the worst winter Madison has seen in a long time.
""People don't want to hang around for a slice. It's been a lot harder on us than most winters, but deliveries have been great,"" said Fritz.
The first flood happened nearly a month ago and cost the restaurant about $3,000. The flood on Feb. 24, which closed the store, cost nearly $8,000 in damages.
The establishment lost around $1,000 in revenue from the closure.
Fritz also said the restaurant made around $1,000 less every weekend compared to normal winter revenue due to the harsh weather. In the month of January, Ian's made $7,000 less than January 2007.
Mary Carbine, the executive director of Madison's Business Improvement District, said this winter brought overall mixed results to area businesses.
""It has been challenging for businesses everywhere. The really bad weather is never good,"" she said.
""But there are some stores that sell seasonal items, such as winter gear, where the weather has actually been good [for business],"" Carbine said.
However, February seems to be offering some hope to Ian's. Fritz said sales are similar to those of previous years, thanks in part to nearby sporting events which draw thousands of spectators to the downtown area.
Even with the official end of winter drawing near on March 21, Fritz said she can't help but have a bad feeling that a third flood might come with the melting of a record-breaking amount of snow.
