Stone County's "off-season" begins
Stone county enters its "off-season" which usually runs from January through March.
Kadee Brosseau DeCourley
Stone County’s largest industry is slowing down as 2022 begins. Each winter, especially after the holidays, tourism-based businesses come to a lull.
“According to the Missouri Division of Tourism, in 2019, there were almost $200 million tourism expenditures in Stone County. This certainly proves that tourism is, by far, the largest industry in the county. Agriculture is probably number two; according to the 2017 Census of Agriculture, there were $35 million in commodity sales in the county,” Table Rock Lake Chamber of Commerce Sheila Thomas said.
Some resorts have shut down until spring, some restaurants and shops have shortened their hours of operation, and some area attractions, like Silver Dollar City, have closed for a few months.
“January and February are definitely the slowest months for tourism in terms of tax collections,” Thomas said.
Thomas said the off-season, of course, impacts some workers more than others, depending on where they are employed. Many businesses in Stone County depend on visitors to Table Rock Lake who recreate on the water during the warm months.
“We do still see an off-season, which isn’t surprising for a lake economy. As business slows, some employers either close or downsize their workforce, which can mean a few months of unemployment for some employees. Fortunately, we have both students and a good base of retired workers that this doesn’t affect as much as others,” Thomas explained.
The slow-down pattern that Stone County’s economy experiences this time of year is certainly not a surprise to business leaders in the area. Thomas said the Chamber of Commerce is helping to lead a strategic development plan that will help address this issue.
“Being a seasonal destination is certainly less than ideal. One of the goals in our county economic development strategic plan is to grow the local business base. This could be accomplished by continuing to assist existing businesses so they can grow and expand, or by attracting additional businesses that provide year-round jobs,” Thomas said.
However, many other businesses are currently hiring despite some tourism-based businesses closing or shortening operating hours this time of year.
“There absolutely are jobs to be found this time of year. We have several on our Chamber website,” Thomas said.
Thomas said though the off-season continues to come each winter, the length of time it stays around has been shortening.
“I do believe our “off-season” has been shortening slightly in length, based on the tax collection numbers. Some of it has to do with the weather – if it is mild weather people still want to fish and boat. And I think some of it has to do with more second home owners and regional visitors coming more often than just in the summer,” Thomas said.
Still, Thomas points out that it takes determination and a unique skill-set to be able to run a seasonal business, something many business owners in Stone County do quite well year after year.
“It’s fairly difficult to run a business that is seasonal, but our business owners have figured it out. They often work crazy long hours in the summer. For some, a short breather in the winter is a little respite after what has been record-breaking seasons in 2020 and 2021,” Thomas said.
You can view job openings in our area by visiting: business.visittablerocklake.com/jobs.
Stone County’s largest industry is slowing down as 2022 begins. Each winter, especially after the holidays, tourism-based businesses come to a lull.
“According to the Missouri Division of Tourism, in 2019, there were almost $200 million tourism expenditures in Stone County. This certainly proves that tourism is, by far, the largest industry in the county. Agriculture is probably number two; according to the 2017 Census of Agriculture, there were $35 million in commodity sales in the county,” Table Rock Lake Chamber of Commerce Sheila Thomas said.
Some resorts have shut down until spring, some restaurants and shops have shortened their hours of operation, and some area attractions, like Silver Dollar City, have closed for a few months.
“January and February are definitely the slowest months for tourism in terms of tax collections,” Thomas said.
Thomas said the off-season, of course, impacts some workers more than others, depending on where they are employed. Many businesses in Stone County depend on visitors to Table Rock Lake who recreate on the water during the warm months.
“We do still see an off-season, which isn’t surprising for a lake economy. As business slows, some employers either close or downsize their workforce, which can mean a few months of unemployment for some employees. Fortunately, we have both students and a good base of retired workers that this doesn’t affect as much as others,” Thomas explained.
The slow-down pattern that Stone County’s economy experiences this time of year is certainly not a surprise to business leaders in the area. Thomas said the Chamber of Commerce is helping to lead a strategic development plan that will help address this issue.
“Being a seasonal destination is certainly less than ideal. One of the goals in our county economic development strategic plan is to grow the local business base. This could be accomplished by continuing to assist existing businesses so they can grow and expand, or by attracting additional businesses that provide year-round jobs,” Thomas said.
However, many other businesses are currently hiring despite some tourism-based businesses closing or shortening operating hours this time of year.
“There absolutely are jobs to be found this time of year. We have several on our Chamber website,” Thomas said.
Thomas said though the off-season continues to come each winter, the length of time it stays around has been shortening.
“I do believe our “off-season” has been shortening slightly in length, based on the tax collection numbers. Some of it has to do with the weather – if it is mild weather people still want to fish and boat. And I think some of it has to do with more second home owners and regional visitors coming more often than just in the summer,” Thomas said.
Still, Thomas points out that it takes determination and a unique skill-set to be able to run a seasonal business, something many business owners in Stone County do quite well year after year.
“It’s fairly difficult to run a business that is seasonal, but our business owners have figured it out. They often work crazy long hours in the summer. For some, a short breather in the winter is a little respite after what has been record-breaking seasons in 2020 and 2021,” Thomas said.
You can view job openings in our area by visiting: business.visittablerocklake.com/jobs.