ATV industry struggles amid pandemic

MERCER COUNTY, WV (WOAY) – As the pandemic continues and more events are canceled, many businesses are hurting, including those in the ATV industry.

Spring is usually a popular time for ATV enthusiasts to take to the trails

“Historically, April and May are two of the biggest months for ATV traffic,” said Jamie Null with the Mercer County CVB. “That’s when [businesses] really come off of a winter hiatus. They also use those months to gather revenue to carry them through our slower months.”

This year is a bit different as some reservations at resorts are canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic.

“We have seen a slow down in the ATV business where the trails are closed,” said Tina Miller, owner of Miller’s Garage and ATV Superstore. “We have had cancellations in our campground where they were coming in to ride the trails, so it has affected us.”

With lost income, some businesses risk not recovering. Miller hopes the state reopens before it’s too late to come back from the loss.

“We are an essential business with the garage working on vehicles,” said Miller. “We have been blessed to be able to stay open. A lot of the ATV businesses have had to close and I know that’s tough. I can’t imagine if we had to do that.”

On the bright side, this year isn’t a total loss for ATV businesses. While tourism isn’t as popular in the hotter months, things tend to pick back up when fall comes around.

“We already have great bookings for fall,” said Null. “Most [businesses] probably already have those weekends already booked. It’s really hard to find a cabin along the ATV trail in the months of October and September.”

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Kassie Simmons
Kassie Simmons joined the team in January 2019 as a weekend journalist. She graduated from Virginia Tech in just two and a half years with a BA in multimedia journalism. During her short time at Virginia Tech, she served as the editor for the university’s chapter of The Tab. Kassie was named the top reporter for The Tab at Virginia Tech on multiple occasions and made the list for the top 30 reporters for The Tab in the U.S. She also studied theater performance and minored in creative writing. Before coming to WOAY, Kassie interned at WSLS in Roanoke and the Tidewater Review in her hometown of West Point, Va. She has loved following breaking news since her childhood and has a passion for delivering the stories people care most about. Kassie is excited to be working in Southern West Virginia and looks forward to all the adventures ahead of her. You can follow her on Twitter at @KassieLSimmons and like her page on Facebook. If you have a story you think she should check out, send her an email at ksimmons@woay.com.