The snow helps define two types of garden shops in the midwest.

One stay open all year. The other closes for the winter.

Eric Shangraw explains how both can operate.

The Sheridan Nursery truck isn't hauling shrubs or sod. Owner Scott Dixon is plowing snow. His garden shop closes in January and February each year. The unreliable snow plow business can account for up to ten percent of his annual income.

So another snow storm means money. He says the problem with doing the job this year is the constant cold weather.

"Now we are in some spots running out of room to put the snow. It is nice to plow and have warm weather to get those piles down. And now we are kind of getting to the spots where we have to bring our tractors in and physically remove the piles of snow because it is getting so built up, we are spilling into parking lots," said Dixon.

Nick Vespa is trying not to spill any birdseed. At Kelly Seed and Hardware in downtown Peoria, they mix their own product. Up to seventy five percent of their winter revenue can be the sunflower seeds, peanuts and suet to feed the cardinals, bluejays and woodpeckers.

"It is one thing about living in Central Illinois, there is a lot of bird watchers. And we are lucky enough to have a lot of good-loyal customers that keep coming in feeding the birds. it has been a phenomenal year," said Vespa.

Those who have to shovel the driveway by hand, may have a different opinion on the first six weeks of 2010.