BROAD RIPPLE — This winter storm is impacting all of us, but it's putting some extra stress on local small businesses. WRTV spoke with a few on Tuesday about what managing the storm has looked like these last few days.
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“We were going back and forth: do we open, do we not open," Sarah Hassler, owner of Blue Mind Coffee on 38th Street, explained.
“Things are a little slow," Dominick Bravo, store manager at Newman & Co. Consignment on 65th Street, stated.
“It’s been a little rough," Rudy Nehrling, manager at Good Earth Natural Food Co. in Broad Ripple Village, said with a laugh.
The past few days have been filled with question marks for local business owners.
“We decided we would close yesterday," Hassler said.
“We were closed the last two days," Bravo explained.
“We made the tough decision to close on Sunday," Nehrling stated.
Each closure was a difficult choice, which owners explained can have big impacts.
“It does change things," Hassler said. "And January is already a hard month for a small business, so it’s unfortunate when you get a big snow like this in January.”
“For a small business, it’s not an easy feat," Nehrling said. "That’s how we stay in business— is you have customers, you’re selling goods.”
While difficult, they knew their customers would have their backs through it all.
“The online store is still pretty good. [We're] Packing up orders. People are calling in and asking if we’re open," Bravo said. "People will trek to sort of make it over here, which is nice.”
“We always make it up. The people that don’t come on Monday, they’re gonna find their way to get to Blue Mind other times of the week," Hassler said with a smile.
While it's been a tough couple of days, the message we got from all of these businesses is they're ready to get back to work. So, whether you're needing some healthy groceries, new clothes, or just a cup of coffee, they're all open and ready to serve.
“This isn’t our first blizzard, so we’re still in the game and here to help people," Nehrling said.
“We’re just gonna try to be here and do the best we can while we can," Bravo exclaimed.
“We’ll be here. We’ll be here all week," Hassler stated.
Blue Mind Coffee, Newman & Co. Consignment and Good Earth Natural Food Co. will all be open for the rest of the week, as of now. They encourage people to come by and try them out, if they can safely do so.
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Casey Zanowic is the In Your Community reporter for North Side Indy. She joined WRTV in July of 2025. Casey has a passion for storytelling and is ready to showcase impactful stories that make a difference in her community. Share your story ideas and important issues with Casey by emailing her at casey.zanowic@wrtv.com.
