SOUTHERN PINES, N.C. — The power outage in Moore County is taking a toll on shops hoping for a holiday season financial boost.

“R. Riveter” handbag store has been shut down all week because of the outage. Store manager Rachel Schalin said she was expecting the holiday season to help make up for some of the financial losses during the pandemic.

Now, they’re in an even tougher spot.

“We have a lot of people who I know by name because they’ve been regulars here for so long and we just don’t get to see them now,” Schalin said.

To make up for lost time and money, the team might have to work on Sundays, which is usually a day off for them, and put in longer days during the week.

“We probably will have to expand our hours by at least an hour or so every day just to try to see if we can make up for everything that happened,” Schalin said.