MINNETONKA, Minn. — As Minnesotans woke up to snow on Friday morning, it was a sign that Old Man Winter is near.
"I mean we have the Halloween stuff still out, but now we have to make room for shovels," Rory Sterachota said.
He runs the True Value off of Minnetonka Blvd. and says he coincidentally got his first shipment of shovels the day we first saw snow fall across the metro.
"I will order more for next week and the week after that," Sterachota said.
He stays ahead of the schedule in preparation for the first big snowstorm. On average, he sells three quarters of his shovel inventory.
"That first snowfall is killer," Sterachota joked.
He encourages Minnesotans to load up before then to guarantee they can get what they need. Top of the list include: shovels, ice scrapers, and ice melt.
Minnesota Department of Transportation also wants drivers to be prepared. A MnDOT spokesperson said they have 800 snowplows across the state ready for winter, including 200 in the metro. Those numbers don't include county and city plows.
For Sterachota, extreme weather keeps him and other hardware stores in business.
"I just had sold a lot of sprinklers around the end of the summer from the drought. Now -- we are ready for the winter turnaround," Sterachota said.