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Retailers take their day off in stride

Frances rudely cut into a three-day weekend traditionally profitable for merchants, but they say it could be worse.

Labor Day weekend's reputation as a retailing bonanza took a hit from Hurricane Frances on Sunday as Tampa Bay residents hunkered down at home.

With only a few scattered retail outlets open - a fast-food restaurant here, a convenience store there - consumers were focused on staying safe, not spending, as the storm slogged its way across the state.

All local malls were closed due to the weather. Strip centers were shuttered. Car lots were empty. Cash registers were silent.

Aj Jemison, general manager of International Plaza, tried to be philosophical about the closing of her Tampa mall on Sunday.

"We only would have been open six hours anyway," she said. "And if the weather had been great, people would have been on the beach."

Jemison found some comfort in the fact that International Plaza had been packed on Saturday preceding the storm.

"You had people that evacuated from the East Coast who were sick of staying in their hotels," she said. "There were kids in the play area and families shopping and eating. So I doubt from a retail perspective we'll see any real loss."

Frank North, marketing director for Ferman Automotive Group, also downplayed any financial concerns as he watched Frances move through his neighborhood in south Tampa on Sunday.

"Labor Day is always a weekend of activity in the auto industry," he said. "But any revenue loss today is minuscule and insignificant compared perhaps to the loss to our community as a whole from this storm."

Ferman had closed all 12 of its locations in Pasco, Pinellas and Hillsborough counties Sunday, and North had a close eye on dealerships close to the projected path of the hurricane's eye.

"We're just praying all will be well," he said. "After the storm has passed, we can determine any kind of business loss or damage. But right now, that's not a concern at all."

Both Ferman and International Plaza planned to decide late Sunday whether their businesses would reopen today.