MARLBORO — Time is money, or so the saying goes, and many local businesses lost a big chunk of operating hours as a result of Sandy and the ensuing power outages.
Just about all of Marlboro lost power after the Oct. 29 storm, Mayor Jonathan Hornik said. That meant business owners had to close their shops and watch cash walk out the door, or rig generators to keep their businesses functioning, sometimes not at full capacity.
“I’m losing money every day and every hour,” said Onita Luisi, the owner of Chips Salon, 8 S. Main St. “It does not feel good at all.”
A power outage forced Luisi to close her doors shortly after the storm hit. The thought of potentially losing money that could cover the rent for her location did not sit well with Luisi.
“The swifter I pay my rent, the better for me,” she added.
Luisi said she kept in touch with her 10 employees through text messages and phone calls after Sandy hit Marlboro. She said her staff members were eager to get back to work, but there was little Luisi could do without electricity.
She considered purchasing a generator for the beauty salon, as her neighbors at Romeo’s Restaurant and Pizza did, but she questioned whether it would be effective.
“I don’t know the ramifications or whether or not [a generator] could handle a beauty salon,” Luisi said. “We run through a lot of hot water. We have a lot of power going with the dryers and everything. I have been thinking long and hard about it this time around.”
The salon did not incur any damages from the storm, Luisi noted.
While the money lost to the chaos of the week of Oct. 29 through Nov. 3 burns Luisi and her employees, she was glad to report that Sandy did not injure or pose serious obstacles to her coworkers.
“They are all managing OK,” the business owner said. “Everybody is safe.”
Chips Salon posted on its Facebook page that it received power and opened for business on Nov. 5.
— Jack Murtha