Blizzard Doesn't Keep Post-Christmas Shoppers From Sales

Not even a Blizzard Warning could keep people from hitting the stores and restaurants around Westlake on Wednesday.

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Around 1 p.m., BSpot in Crocker Park was almost full.

Nick Brown of Dayton and Lauren Bartolozzi of Athens were two of the people who braved the snow to come out to Crocker Park. They were staying with Bartolozzi's mother in Cleveland's West Park neighborhood for Christmas.

"We were supposed to go down to Athens today," Bartolozzi said as they sat at the bar at B Spot. "But with the storm, we decided to stay. So we came out so I could get some new shoes, and have lunch."

Brown said they'd probably be heading back to West Park right after lunch.

"It's getting worse," he said of the storm.

"We saw a few cars going off the road on the way here," Bartolozzi said.

Young people were seen hitting the stores of Crocker Park for post-Christmas bargains on clothes.

A cashier at KMart told a customer that business had been pretty good in the morning ahead of the snow for post-Christmas sales. As the snow began to fall harder, however, fewer were showing up.

Westlake Police Department Captain Guy Turner was hoping Wednesday afternoon that the shoppers would start going home.

"We and Rocky River are getting socked with accidents," he said.

Crashes started happening in Westlake around 11:45 a.m., he said. More than a half-dozen accidents had happened before 1 p.m.

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The crashes were happening all over town, including a few spinouts on Interstate 90, a two-car accident on 90, a two-car crash on Columbia and Detroit Roads, and a car stuck in a median on Westwood Road.

No injuries were reported in any of the crashes so far.

Capt. Turner gave some advice for people heading out on Wednesday.

"Don't," he said. "Or, if you're already out, just go home before things get worse."

But, if you must go out, he offered some reminders for safe winter-weather driving.

Clean the snow off your car as thoroughly as you can and run the defroster/defogger before leaving.

"A softball-sized opening in the front windshield isn't enough," he said.

Slow down and leave lots of room between you and other cars.

"An SUV slides on slippery roads just as easily as a sub-compact," Capt. Turner said.

No power outages were reported in Westlake as of 2 p.m., according to First Energy.