Although the winter blast has come and gone with its icy, icy, and slippery streets, it has left local business owners dealing with the hardship of financial loss caused by the frost.
For about a week, from Jan. 14 to 20, temperatures reached minus eight degrees in Sangamon County, not including the wind chill.
While many residents remained confined inside their homes, some local businesses ground to a halt after frozen pipes burst, causing water damage and other damage.
You can read more about last week's winter weather emergency here.
Passfield House
Pasfield House, the historic boutique hotel and event space in Springfield, has suspended all events and reservations. The recent freezing temperatures have caused the hotel to cancel all future reservations and literally lower the ceiling.
“It took a moment to figure out this wasn't from the house,” said Passfield homeowner Molly Fry. “This is from fire suppression (piping) and only firefighters can put that out. So it was flowing like Niagara Falls on the dance floor.
It was the morning of January 16 when frozen pipes burst in the basement and the house's main gathering area, the Gilded Room. Gallons of water marred the hardwood floors and roof structure. Damage is estimated at tens of thousands of dollars.
Fry said one contractor estimated the repairs would be completed by the end of February, but the more she found out about the damage, the longer it would take.
Located at 535 South Pasfield Avenue with a view of the State Capitol, this vacation home and inn was built in 1896 with a unique post-Civil War design and includes 21st century luxuries. The event hosting area in the basement, where most of the water damage occurred, is usually reserved for an entire week.
While insurance can cover some repairs, Fry said the company will have to cover a significant portion of the cost and deductible. A GoFundMe page has been set up in hopes that donations will offset some of the repair expenses.
“Personally, I hate asking for money,” Fry said. “I really appreciate it, I'm very grateful for that.”
The GoFundMe has raised more than $3,000 from 32 donors but still needs more than $6,000 to restore Pasfield to structural integrity.
Wakiri
Quick and sober cocktails were limited to the front of the bar last week when local nightlife institution The Wakery found its entire fridge stock had exploded from the extreme cold last Thursday.
“I mean it was just glass everywhere,” said Elizabeth Wick, founder of Wikiri. “It was as if a bomb had just gone off there… I was completely at a loss for words.”
But after disposing of the glass shards and cleaning up the mess, Wick quickly rebounded; Let guests know about limited inventory and host a Golden Girls-themed night.
“Customers were patient and understanding about all of that, so we made do with what we had,” Wick said. “We received two offers from other companies to store cold items in (their refrigerators); We didn't need to take advantage of any of those offers but it was just a real proud moment for me.
Non-alcoholic bars, or NA bars, are a growing market for younger generations. According to Forbes, Gen Z drinks on average 20% less than Millennials their age, while Millennials also drink less than their predecessors, Generation X, their age.
Not only did The Wakery continue all of their scheduled events for the week in a limited capacity, but they took on more scheduling to assist The Pasfield when their pipes burst.
“When the water issue happened, (Fry) had to cancel the baby shower she had scheduled,” Wick said. “So she called me and asked if there was any possibility of hosting him there, so right after the wedding we cleaned up and reset to have the baby shower.”
Nami book
The locally owned Poke Build-a-Bowl and Sushi Restaurant is located at 916 S Grand Ave. W, had its initial cold blast and was closed on January 16 due to weather conditions.
According to business owner Hau Nguyen, the pipes at Nami Poke froze but fortunately did not burst, leading to the store reopening the next business day after the ice thawed.
Nami Poke opened in August bringing Hawaiian specialty cuisine to Springfield along with Aloha and K&S Hawaiian BBQ. Store hours are 11am to 8pm Tuesday through Saturday.
Subs are fun
Read more about Toasty-Subs hereA Springfield sandwich shop is closing, moving fast lanes after weather damaged the building
Toasty-subs, a locally owned sandwich shop created by entrepreneurs Nav Singh and Joe Ryan, will not open its doors for the rest of the month.
The store announced its sudden closure after a water pipe burst, flooding the store overnight. But what was thought to be minor damage led to the store closing.
The sandwich shop plans to move to 2120 S. MacArthur Blvd. By early February. According to Singh, relocation was already on the owners' mind.
