TUPPER LAKE - Though the reopening of a few lifts at the Big Tupper Ski Area has energized locals about being able to ski again, the project has so far had limited impact on many local businesses, with a few exceptions.
Many say its just too soon to have an impact, while some say the limited setup of the mountain as it's currently being operated will never lead to more business.
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Motels
Jerry and Maggie Ernenwein, who own the Park Motel, said they have rented out a few rooms to people who were in town specifically to go skiing but not many.
"I do feel that the mountain is having some impact in town," said Maggie Ernenwein, who sits on the board of the Tupper Lake Chamber of Commerce. "I know the restaurants are busier, and I have picked up a few rooms for the mountain but not too many. But we're hopeful that it will grow."
At the Sunset Park Motel, owner Jerzy Maliszewski said some of his old customers, who have stayed there while skiing at Titus or Whiteface in the last 10 years, have been skiing at Big Tupper instead. But he said he hasn't gotten any new customers from the reopening.
He said he thinks most of the people who are skiing there are locals or people who live nearby and can make a day trip to Tupper Lake, because the group running the mountain hasn't been able to do any advertising outside the area.
"Not too many people know you can ski Big Tupper," Maliszewski said. "Maybe in the future it will be better, but they just opened."
Maliszewski said he is also noticing a drop in the number of snowmobilers staying there, a market he usually does well in, due to a lack of snow.
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Restaurants
At Little Italy, Ted Desmarais said he has not seen any change in the amount of business he's getting this winter over last. In fact, he said, the only difference is that his expenses are higher.
The fact that Big Tupper is only open on weekends may have something to do with that, Desmarais said. He said if it were open during the week, more people might come in from out of town, stay at Tupper Lake motels and need places to go out to eat.
Reandeau's Swiss Kitchen is one of the businesses that has seen an uptick in customers, said co-owner Glenda Reandeau.
"I would say not a huge, significant amount," Reandeau said. "But all in all, yes, it really is helping the business, definitely."
She said she thinks it was slow to pick up at first because people weren't sure how things would work out at Big Tupper. Now that it is up and running, though, she said she has begun to see a difference. The last Saturday the ski area was open, she said she had several groups of people on their way to or from Big Tupper.
"Everybody that has come in here that has skied up there said they loved it," Reandeau said. "The real snow makes a difference."
Big Tupper is being run this year without artificial snowmaking.
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Convenience stores
Other businesses that would benefit from day trippers are also seeing increased revenue.
The Stewart's Shop on Park Street has seen a significant increase in business.
Employee Eric Hotmer said the store has seen about $2,000 more a week than it did last winter. He said the growth has been in every department - from take-out food to dairy to gas.
Hotmer said he believes Big Tupper's opening has a lot to do with the improvement. Most of the volunteers who worked to get the mountain operational visit Stewart's regularly, he said, and they have had an impact.
The Wawbeek Quick Stop, another gas station/convenience store, has also been making more money. Manager Kristin LaMere said that on weekends, she has definitely seen skiers coming in from Big Tupper to fuel up and pick up snacks and drinks.
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Retail stores
Other retail businesses in Tupper Lake are still waiting to see returns but remain hopeful.
Jon Kopp, who runs Wildwood Arts and Antiques, said he hasn't seen a change in his amount of business since Big Tupper's reopening and doesn't expect to with the limited setup there that he thinks will largely only be attractive to locals. He said the town needs more places to stay with more modern amenities before he expects it to be truly attractive to tourists.
"Overall I think the business climate is pretty poor in Tupper Lake," Kopp said.
Kopp also works at the State Theater movie theatre across the street on weekends and said he has noticed more people seeing movies there since the mountain's opening.
Joyce and Vincent Moody, who run The Adirondack Co., an Adirondack-themed gift and furniture store, said Big Tupper's opening hasn't affected them yet, but noted that it has only been running a few weeks.
The Moodys were preparing Thursday night to go to a business expo to be held Saturday in the Big Tupper lodge. They said they hoped it would let visiting skiers and boarders know about their store while also giving locals more information about what they sell.
"We're hoping for good things," Vincent Moody said.
Scott Gravlin is hopeful, too. He opened a sporting goods store called Radikal Rekreation about two weeks ago with Big Tupper in mind.
"I think Big Tupper is going to explode immensely in the next two years," Gravlin said.
Gravlin said he's already had quite a few inquiries about buying or renting skis and snowboards. He has some snowboards in stock and is willing to order any skis a customer is interested in but decided against renting equipment because the insurance is too expensive, he said.
"I've got people looking for skis all the time," Gravlin said.
He said he thinks Big Tupper is a good alternative to a busy, expensive mountain like Whiteface Mountain Ski Center in Wilmington.
"It's a down-to-earth place," Gravlin said. "It's quiet. It's peaceful."
The community effort to reopen a ski lift took off recently because a large development project proposed for the mountain, the Adirondack Club and Resort, is stalled in the process of getting a permit from the state Adirondack Park Agency. The project would replace and upgrade all the lifts and buildings at the ski area on Mount Morris and add up to 600 housing units, a restaurant and a marina on the land around it.
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Contact Jessica Collier at 891-2600 ext. 25 or jcollier@adirondackdailyenterprise.com.
