Ice chills the bottom line for Triangle merchants

Icy roads in central North Carolina closed schools and offices across central North Carolina Tuesday, but time off from work and school didn't send many people out to the malls.

Crabtree Valley Mall in Raleigh, Streets at Southpoint in Durham, Triangle Town Center in Raleigh, and Cary Town Center in Cary all closed early Tuesday. They planned to be open Wednesday, weather permitting.

Kyle Golder sells sunglasses at Crabtree Valley Mall. He said icy road conditions definitely affect business.

"In the sunglass business market, there's not a lot of people looking for sunglasses when it's snowing outside," he said.

But for shoppers who braved the icy roads, going to the mall had some perks.

"We knew we'd get a parking spot," said Dina Rojas, who was shopping with her daughter.

Shannon Zacco hit the mall with her family to get out of the house.

"My college was cancelled and so me and my family decided to come to the mall, but unfortunately they're closing early," Zacco said.

Crabtree Valley Mall only had pockets of shoppers Tuesday. The early closing did allow shoppers to get back on the roads before moisture refroze after dark.

"When it gets dark, stuff freezes back over and I don't want to be caught out," said Kenzie McElvine.