Funland owner and operator Mark Henschke said the park was a little bit ahead of last year. “We kind of attribute that to the economy being down; we think more people did local trips rather than flying to Florida or going to the islands. It was all in all a good season for us,” he said.

Nick Caggiano, co-owner of Nicola Pizza, said June and the first two weeks of July were soft but business picked up in August. “It wasn’t bad, but not the greatest summer either,” he said.

Caggiano said business was definitely affected by the rainy weather in June, but as a whole, he considered it a pretty good summer.

Carol Everhart, president and CEO of the Rehoboth Beach-Dewey Beach Chamber of Commerce, said the summer season was “a mixed bag,” as business was both good and bad.

Everhart said Memorial Day weekend was very strong, but things tailed off in June when 20 of the month’s 30 days were marred by rain. She said July 4 weekends were great, but the rest of July was both good and not so good, in terms of business.

Everhart said business picked up in August and as the cool weather rolled in, visitation remained solid. She said the visitation trend has been toward shorter weekend stays, with shorter hotel stays and bookings at the last minute. Everhart said while some hotels have reported record-breaking numbers, others have not been as fortunate.

Restaurants also report mixed results, and retail stores, and stores with higher-ticket items, such as home furnishings and appliances, are selling less.

Everhart said the chamber has not been able to get a read yet on why businesses have been reporting mixed numbers but two possible explanations are the state of the national economy and the summer visitation pattern. The businesses that have had it toughest, she said, are seasonal businesses because they do not have the same opportunity to catch up on sales that year-round businesses do.

Still, visitation has remained strong even into the winter, Everhart said, and more special events have given visitors a reason to keep coming back.

Rehoboth Beach Main Street Executive Administrator Jenny Barger said, “Businesses in downtown Rehoboth Beach were successful during the summer despite the national economic conditions. Downtown business grew through late summer and is continuing strong during this shoulder season,” she said. “The many events occurring in downtown Rehoboth Beach throughout the winter and fall and the wonderful business specials have contributed to the attraction of this year-round beach town.

“We are hopeful for a busy holiday season and hope that locals and regional tourists remember to support local business and shop, dine and stay in downtown Rehoboth Beach.”