(WZZM) -- What a difference a year makes. In March 2012, temperatures reached the upper 80s, but Wednesday it was below freezing. It's good and bad for area businesses.
At Jersey Junction in East Grand Rapids, Christina Ritsema says, "This year, as you can see, it's kind of empty at the moment."
Blame it on the weather. It's a chilly 28 degrees. It's a big change from March of last year. It felt more like summer and everybody wanted ice cream.
"It was incredibly busy. It was fun. It was nice and it kept going. But this year, is normal," says Ritsema.
And "normal" is good with Ed Robinette, owner of Robinette Orchards in Grand Rapids Township. Last year, the warm weather caused the apple trees to bud sooner than they should have.
"It was horrible. All the trees bloomed a month early. Everybody now knows that they froze and there was no fruit last year," says Robinette.