For businesses, it's the year's biggest day -- or not

By Tom Dalton
Staff writer

October 31, 2008 10:18 am

—

SALEM — This is Halloween in the Witch City, which means that some businesses are rolling out the red — make that orange — carpets, while others are rolling up the sidewalks and heading for the hills.

With predictions of 100,000 revelers headed this way and dire warnings of traffic backing up all the way to the Maine Turnpike, a few businesses have decided that discretion is the better part of valor.

"This place should turn into a ghost town — no pun intended," said Tom Kent, vice president of real estate at Shetland Park, an office park on the waterfront. "A lot of the tenants realize what's going on with the volume of people coming to town, so they try to leave early."

Or don't come at all.

"This year, we actually made (Halloween) a shutdown for everyone," said Stefanie DeRosa of Perkin-Elmer, a specialty lighting manufacturer in Shetland Park.

They are not alone.

North Shore Dental Associates, which is on the Essex Street pedestrian mall, is closed today. "It's too difficult for our employees to get into Salem," said a spokeswoman.

The Salem YMCA, which is at the far end of Essex Street, does its share of logistical gymnastics on Oct. 31.

Y staff members stand outside with walkie-talkies to assist parents who can't find anyplace to park and have come to pick up a child. The youth organization, which closes early, even stations a staff member at the end of the street in case parents have trouble getting through the traffic or a roadblock.

Halloween is not the best day to buy or sell a house in Salem.

"I'm going to be shutting down around 1 or 2 p.m. so (employees) can get around town before they start blocking the roads," said Juliana Tache of Tache Real Estate on Derby Street.

Gonet Funeral Home may have it worst of all. It is on Hawthorne Boulevard, which is right smack in the middle of the Halloween celebration. The road closes at 5 p.m., which means no Friday night wakes.

"No, no, we can't have a wake," said David Gonet, the owner. "We cannot use the building" at night, he said.

Of course, it's a different story at the city's restaurants and bars. Today is Christmas, New Year's and the Fourth of July rolled into one.

"We should be reaching full capacity throughout the whole day," said Kerry Lander, a manager at Salem Beer Works. "We actually add extra chairs during the month of October."

Copyright © 1999-2008 cnhi, inc.