Some Long Island businesses get post-summer boost from pandemic

The coronavirus pandemic has helped boost some Long Island businesses and keep customers coming long past the traditional end of the summer season, known as “tumbleweed Tuesday,” according to the Wall Street Journal.

“There was no tumbleweed anything,” Leslie Kennedy, the manager of a boutique in Westhampton Beach, told the Journal. “People are staying; people are shopping. People are just dying to get out of their houses.”

Payment processing company Square Inc. reported a nearly 11 percent year-over-year increase in median revenue for businesses using its products between Sept. 7 and Halloween.

Many parts of Long Island, including the Hamptons, saw an influx of homebuyers during the pandemic and also saw summertime vacationers stick around past Labor Day. The pricier segments of the housing market have been especially hot.

But some business owners, particularly restaurateurs, are less optimistic about their prospects once winter sets in. “It’s been devastating, it’s beyond terrible,” said Keith Wedderburn, who manages an event space in Huntington. [WSJ] — Dennis Lynch