LEAVENWORTH — Downtown Leavenworth was quieter than usual for a Saturday morning in mid-December as a heavy fog hung in the air.
Downed trees lined Commercial Street near the Wenatchee River. The river crested at around 17 feet Thursday evening, hitting major flood status.
A portion of Highway 2 fell into the Wenatchee River, blocking access for visitors from Seattle and Tacoma, who accounted for 59% of 2024 tourism spending.
With the highway closed and Leavenworth's famous holiday lights display and Christmastown events canceled through the weekend due to a week of relentless flooding and wind, many tourists had canceled trips and stayed away.
Leavenworth and Christmas go hand-in-hand. The tourist-friendly town is home to fewer than 2,500 people, and its local economy relies on visitors during the Christmas season.
Leavenworth’s Main Street usually has a standing-room-only crowd on weekends in December. It was nearly empty by comparison on Saturday as businesses reopened after power outages, worrying local business owners and staffers.
It's going to hurt," said Heidi Forchemer, owner of two restaurants and a bakery in the city.
Jacob Creiglow, 37, of Leavenworth, owns Bubba's Boba Bar. While one slow December weekend won't put his business in peril, he understands that's not the case for most businesses in the area.
"This is one of the busiest weekends of the year," he said as he sat in his empty storefront. "So (a lot) of people rely on these three weekends specifically to get them through the next three or four months."
Allie Donaldson, 31, of Leavenworth, who has been without power since Wednesday, has managed Asher Goods Co. for three years.
"It's definitely worrisome just to not have people be able to get up here, because if you do well in December, that can pad you well during the offseason," she said. "And so if we don't get that, it's going to be a problem."
Forchemer's sister, Christina Forchemer-Zucktriegel, 58, of Leavenworth, works at Uptown Wine Bar. She said Saturday was the slowest December weekend she'd ever seen. As someone who relies on tips, Forchemer-Zucktriegel has already felt the pinch.
"So I had 18 hours I missed work, during the season where I needed the most income, because it's Christmas, we all do," she said as she put together a wine flight for a couple who strolled in. They were one of two parties in the bar.
Usually, Forchemer-Zucktriegel said the bar would be packed on a Saturday night.
Forchemer said she's worried the aftermath of the storm will sway people from visiting.
"We were dealt a heavy blow, but we are still standing," she said.
Thousands of people lost power in Leavenworth this week, and utility crews worked feverishly for days to restore power. As of about noon Saturday, Chelan PUD estimated that over 2,000 customers were still without power.
Heavy winds and mushy grounds caused huge trees to fall, knocking down power lines, a streetlamp and parts of a metal fence.
Walking along the sidewalk past the debris with her kids, Elisa Esper, 45, of Leavenworth, said she has lived in the area for six years and has never seen damage like this.
While her house didn't flood, Esper was one of the thousands in the area without power for several days.
Esper is worried about how the city known for its Christmas and Bavarian charm will recover.
"Our family is not directly impacted, but 100% the worst time of year for (this)," she said. "I bet Leavenworth makes the majority of their money in December and January."
Esper and her friend Annie Monroe, 45, of Cashmere, both said the floods are the latest ripple in what they call a year of natural disasters. The area saw devastation earlier in the year as the Sugarloaf wildfire swept through the nearby forest in September. While all these disasters have been scary, both Monroe and Esper said the answer isn't to move away.
"Earth stuff happens everywhere, Monroe said.
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