Thawing out business

These are among the promotions merchants are raining down on consumers to lure them out of their cozy homes and into stores during one of the snowiest and coldest seasons.

January is typically a slow month for retailers, but this year, the post-holiday drop-off has come with a subzero sting. Weeks of blustery weather have brought some businesses to a near standstill and have many merchants watching the bottom line plummet with the temperature.

J.P. Licks has tossed out two snowstorm specials so far this month, but Vince Petryk, owner of the ice cream chain, said the perk has not reeled in enough fans at his nine stores.

“It’s been in the tank,’’ Petryk said of business during the past few weeks. “There are fewer and fewer parking spaces after each storm since we haven’t had a thaw in between.’’

Even retailers who have tried to preempt the weather have had hard luck. Patrick Pezzati, owner of Turn it Up stores in Western Massachusetts, tried to prepare for the last storm by featuring a sale the day before the blizzard through collective buying website Groupon. More than 300 people took advantage of the offer — $10 for $20 worth of CDs, DVDs, and LPs. But that was not enough to offset the 10 to 15 percent drop in revenues this month at Turn it Up, which Pezzati blames on the weather.

“When you’re a street shop and you depend on foot traffic, you’re always at the mercy of the weather,’’ said Pezzati, who is planning a weekend promotion to draw customers in after the latest round of snow. “But this winter has exceeded all others, even though it’s just started.’’

Last Friday, Robert Marshall hosted a blizzard “Happy Hour’’ at his Boston store, Marshall’s Fenway Farm Stand. The event, promoted through cellphone app Peekaboo Mobile, gave customers a 20 percent discount on their total purchase between 4 and 8 p.m. Traffic was better than expected that day, but business is still down about 10 percent from a year ago.

“We’re trying everything to get people out,’’ said Marshall, who is offering another deal tomorrow that gives consumers a $5 gift certificate when they buy $25 worth of products. “We had to close twice and we have just been stuck in a real bad pattern.’’

Lexi Kerr said the cold has not stopped her from going to work, but it has taken a toll on her shopping.

“I’m doing less shopping. It’s too much hassle to bundle up the kids,’’ said Kerr during a quick stop — by herself — at Staples this week to buy a planner for work.

In Harvard Square, Motto and its sister boutique, MDF, have battled slow sales and a broken boiler that left part of the store cold. To boost business, the shops pushed up a winter sale that features 30 to 40 percent off selected jewelry, scarves, handbags, and designer furnishings.

“We decided to have it earlier this season because of the weather in order to offset losses from not being able to open during the really bad storm days,’’ said Diane Gilbert, a sales associate. “We are doing whatever we can to get people out in the cold weather and come to a store that’s not in a mall.’’

Nearby at lingerie shop Forty Winks, co-owner Rachel Wentworth is hoping to increase business with a new winter promotion: If it snows more than 6 inches in a 24-hour period, Forty Winks will give customers 10 percent off their entire purchase the following day.

Forty Winks is actually having a better season than expected. Wentworth said the bad weather could be helping lift sales as customers prepare to spend long days at home during the storm.

“They are in their pajamas a lot and want cute stuff,’’ Wentworth said. “We have so many newly engaged women coming in.’’

Hotels across the region are also trying to fill up empty rooms with winter discounts. Hotel Indigo in Newton is featuring a “Stay Warm, Stay at Indigo’’ promotion that gives guests tonight a special rate of $99, down from the usual $189. At the Back Bay Hotel, patrons requesting the “Essential Worker’s Relief Package’’ receive the lowest rate available and a free burger and draft beer at its Irish bar, Cuffs. Ames Boston, meanwhile, is touting a 25 percent discount on rooms that start as low as $154. An added bonus: The signature grilled cheese and tomato soup is half-price, or $7, at its tavern, Woodward.

“Certainly it is much more enjoyable to weather the snow when you aren’t fighting to travel in it,’’ said Cate Farmer, general manager of Ames.

Jenn Abelson can be reached at abelson@globe.com.