Cold weather impacts Minnesota businesses that rely on spring

Minnesota businesses that rely on spring arriving on time are facing challenges amid the cold temperatures.

“Minnesota is not the land of 10,000 lakes it’s the land of 10,000 weather occurrences,” Scott Hubbard, Atlantis Pools representative, said.

Scott Hubbard gets Minnesotans ready to dive into summer.

Atlantis Pools builds swimming pools from the ground up, but the cold weather is slowing down construction.

“It’s just working with products affected by the cold like the glue, the vinyl, and the concrete,” Hubbard said. “It’s an unusual April. It’s much colder than usual.”

He explained the company has to work extra shifts so they don’t fall behind.

Garden centers are also calling the cold weather the root cause of business challenges.

“I don’t even want people to come in and buy these vegetable plants. They’re just going to die,” Laurie Soderman, owner of Rock Gardens, said.

In March and April, Rock Gardens in Lino Lakes is normally packed with customers, but the cold is putting a freeze on growing season.

The Sodermans are working overtime to keep their plants alive.

“I come back at about 10:00 p.m. when it [temperature] starts to dip and I turn our propane heaters on here so it stays nice and warm so the plants don’t freeze,” Dustin Soderman, Rock Gardens manager, said.

With the recent rain, cold and moisture, Dustin said the grass, plants and the ground are still frozen.

Some are hopeful April showers will still bring May flowers.

“When the sun comes out, everybody else wants to get out and get things done as much as we do. We feel their pain and they feel ours. We’re in this together,” Dustin said.

Businesses suggest the best thing people can do is be patient and wait for the better weather because after all, Mother Nature has the final say.