A friend who is a local’s local, born and raised here in the Gatlinburg area commented to me recently the title of this post. What he was referring to is that many individuals (and businesses) here in the East Tennessee Smoky Mountains rely on a cash surplus built during the more profitable summer months to survive the much slower winter season. This is particularly true of lodging businesses, retail shops, and restaurants. The April to October period is MUCH more profitable for these operations than the November to March time frame and in fact many of these businesses generate the lion share of their revenues during the summer months when families with children can freely travel. Sadly, the economy’s blues have impacted Sevier County this summer and most of our area’s attractions are reporting receipts down 30-35% when compared to last year. This is especially true of Pigeon Forge’s Dollywood which , with it’s high priced tickets, is off dramatically from their plan. for the businesses and their employees that haven’t had a great summer season, the idea of a typically (or worse) slow winter period is not at all welcome. Fortunately, the real estate business here in the Smokies is not as seasonal as it once was and we have had an excellent summer. In fact, the Gatlinburg foreclosure real estate opportunities continue to be excellent and we are in the process of setting sales records at our real estate firm. For businesses (and individuals) that haven’t enjoyed this sort of success it may be a long winter indeed…