Snow day brings unexpected rush to cozy Richmond cafe

RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) -- As cold temperatures and snow settled over Richmond on Monday, many businesses saw a slowdown -- except for Abi’s Books and Brews on West Cary Street.

Owner Keith Duffin said the winter weather didn’t keep customers away from his cozy Richmond cafe. In fact, business increased.

"It’s been a busy day -- I mean, abnormally so," Duffin said. "We’ve had a lot of people. We’ve gotten a lot of calls checking to see if we’re actually open."

As a small business owner, Duffin said winter storms require flexibility. That meant adjusting hours and stepping in to cover shifts when staff felt unsafe traveling.

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"As things got worse, we made the call to close at seven," Duffin said. "And then the baristas that we had here were saying they weren’t comfortable staying, so I came in and relieved them at 4:30."

The cafe typically closes at 9 p.m. -- but even with shortened hours, customers continued to show up throughout the day.

"We’re up 60% over last week," Duffin said. "Part of it is [that] we really shoot for consistency. I wanted to stay open because we said we’re going to be open."

To keep the shop operating, Duffin said he prepped for the weather -- salting the walkway and setting up heaters to keep the space warm.

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"You have to have a reserve and make sure that one little incident is not going to shut you down," he said. "I'm just glad we’re here, glad we get a lot of community support. We have good people [who] work for us. For all the challenges that we’ve had, we have a lot of people rooting for us."

With an overnight refreeze expected, it will continue to be chilly -- and road conditions will likely continue to be poor -- going into Tuesday, Dec. 9, especially during the early morning hours.

Duffin told 8News that he isn't sure yet how late the cafe will remain open on Tuesday, but once he knows, updates will be posted to the business' Instagram.