Let it snow, let is snow, let it snow. We can’t do anything about the fluffy white stuff that is falling and being blown about— but we can make sure it doesn’t diminish one of the things that makes Salem such a great place to reside in and visit: our Downtown Shopping District.

Many of our restaurants and retailers braved the weather, cleared the sidewalks, pathways, doorways and parking lots to hang their “open for business” signs today. As was said in a tweet, sure they are looking to generate income, but they are also in a sense performing a public service, giving us all a reason to get out of our houses and congregate with fellow townsfolk.

We set up a constantly updating thread on our Facebook page to share the info on who is and is not open. We thank everyone who chimed in. And we give a big frozen thumb’s up to the retailers that offered “Blizzard Specials” to the adventurous New Englanders who made the trek to their favorite Salem haunt.

(Image courtesy of artur84 at FreeDigitalPhotos.net)