Cold July weather means big chill for business

July's less than ideal weather in Newfoundland and Labrador is depressing, not just for residents, but for many businesses' bottom lines.

Ice cream shops, bars and greenhouses have been struggling with the effects of cool and cloudy weather. 

• How this year's bitterly cold July is ending a hot streak 
• Julyuary, Julember hits N.L. with a vengeance, but we're taking it in stride 
• Strawberry fields' poor weather: cold temperatures hurt province's U-picks 

In downtown St. John's, Moo Moo's Ice Cream has seen a major decline in customers this month compared to July 2014.

"It's very, very quiet, and it's very sad," said Moo Moo's Lisa Ryan.

"A year ago today, the place was crazy — we never stopped last summer."

Ryan said judging by previous years, it's not so much just the heat that brings out customers, but the sunshine.

With a July that has seen mostly cloudy days in St. John's, she's praying August will have better things in store.

"I would put this at the worse July ever," she said.

Bars, greenhouses also affected

Also feeling the lack of heat this summer are bars, especially ones with decks or outdoor seating.

On St. John's famous bar district George Street, people are opting to stay inside when they sit down for a mid-July pint.

Brenda O'Reilly, co-owner of O'Reilly's bar, said she was hoping to see a spike in customers this year with a newly-opened rooftop patio, but it's being used sparingly.

While there's seems to be little impact on the amount of people coming inside the actual bar,she said she isn't getting the expected boost from the patio she had anticipated.

On the other side of the province in Little Rapids, local business The Greenhouse is also struggling as a result of the poor summer weather.

Owner Kim Thistle said while the cool temperatures aren't necessarily always a bad thing, some sun would definitely be welcome.

"I think all of the farmers are going to notice a difference in their crops this year," she said.

"Even in the greenhouse we've noticed a difference. The eggplants are still quite small and the tomatoes haven't started to even come close to ripening yet."

She said some cold weather crops, such as lettuce and broccoli, actually thrive in cooler temperatures. As well, the lack of sun can mean that flowers last longer than they usually would in the sweltering heat.

Still, she hopes that before the season is finished, she'll see some temperatures up in at least the 20s.

"This is a real drag when every day it's 10 degrees and it's going up to 15-16," she said.

"The vegetables in the field are going through a set back — probably by about two weeks."