Businesses in Woodridge say all the snow this winter has been great for the local economy.

Albert Bourrier owns Vintage Corner Store. He says from what he has been hearing from sledders, conditions are pretty good right now. And Bourrier says that's great for his bottom line.

According to Bourrier, Saturday is the busiest day of the week for his store. He notes the rush starts around 11:30 am, with waves of sledders coming in for fuel until about 4 pm. By the time the last sled has pulled through, Bourrier says they've sold nearly three thousand litres of premium fuel. So far this winter he has yet to run out, but Bourrier says that is because he plans ahead and makes sure the tank is full heading into the weekend.

Bourrier says not only are sledders buying fuel, but they are coming in for snacks and all of this helps make the winter of 2016-17 a bounce back from last year.

"Last winter the sledding season was short for us," says Bourrier. "By the time we had enough snow to groom in March, it got very, very warm and it started to melt very quickly."

Bourrier says in a perfect world, it would stay between -10 and -15 degrees all winter. But he says those who enjoy cross-country skiing and ice fishing embrace the warmer conditions.

Bourrier says for the local businesses, they need this snow to carry them through the winter. He notes for sledders to hit Woodridge for the weekend and spend their money in the stores and restaurant is very positive.

Over at Trail's End Tavern in Woodridge, owner Rene Normandeau says it has been an overwhelming start for the restaurant. The building sits on land that once occupied the Woodridge Inn. That building burned to the ground in December 2011. A new building was erected and earlier this month Normandeau opened the restaurant on site.

Last weekend was opening weekend and Normandeau says the place was packed.

"There was a lot of snowmobilers here, plus all the local crowds," he recalls. "We were struggling to try to keep up."

Normandeau says the parking lot was full and about half the vehicles were snowmobiles.

"We didn't expect that it was going to be this busy," he says. "We expected that it was going to be a lot of sledders but there is more than I ever imagined."

Normandeau says he is expecting that the snowmobile season will be their busiest time of the year. He notes summer might slow down a little, but there are still a lot of quads and fishermen that visit Woodridge. And then comes hunting season in November.

"People are super happy about the restaurant being open again," he says. "Everybody comes in and they really like the atmosphere that we've created in the restaurant."

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