Will Sequestration Hit Hobbies? Occoquan Beader Shares Customers' Concerns

Beading might be a hobby, but the ownership of Off the Beading Path is not, Occoquan Merchant Denise Bush said. 

"My business is hobbies, but it's not a hobby for me. It puts food on the table," she said. "It does pay bills. If we don't have business, we can't do that." 

As Bush faced Friday's spending cuts, she wondered about the longterm indirect effects of sequestration on her business. Sequestration also strikes a personal chord: her husband is a government contractor.

It's hard to tell what sequestration will look like in Occoquan and Prince William County, Bush said. "We're a pretty high income bracket in this area in general, but some people may be really tapped out." 

Some people might be financially stable enough to consider a furlough a nice break, but others can't afford a few days off, let alone the loss of their jobs. The psychological impact of the upcoming cuts has already led to Off the Beading Path customers choosing to hold onto their money and buy fewer items. 

"Most of what we sell in Occoquan, it's not milk and butter," Bush said, acknowledging that when trying to pare expenses, hobbies and little luxuries are often the first to go. 

See complete coverage of sequestration's impact on our area.

The rest of the country has already tightened their belts. 

"We're just kind of the last ones to feel it," Bush said. 

Nevertheless, she hopes customers may still find her classes and products to be a welcome stress reliever in the days ahead. 

"People in this area, we get very intense," she said, laughing.