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As Massachusetts' string of rainy weekends continues, businesses see unseasonal trends
This spring's
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A typical spring could have five or six consecutive rainy weekends, but this unusual year has already produced 13 in a row, with a 14th very likely this week, said Globe lead meteorologist Ken Mahan.
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'You don't really make that business up,' said Chris Lohring, owner of Notch Brewing, a tap room and beer garden in Salem and Brighton that has seen its primarily outdoor business cut almost in half. 'People don't all of a sudden go out more, it's just lost.'
But driving people inside can be a benefit to other businesses.
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The recent rainy days have driven up traffic at Puttshack, an indoor miniature golf venue with locations in Boston's Seaport and Natick. Bookings during recent weekends have increased by almost 20 percent, with customers lining up outside the doors before they even open for the day, said regional director of operations Kerry Henderson.
'If it starts to rain mid-afternoon, we can get rushes of guests coming in from other outdoors spots in Seaport. For our Natick venue, it's a similar story,' said Henderson.
People line up to play mini golf at Puttshack on a recent Wednesday afternoon.
Suzanne Kreiter/Globe Staff
This atypical rainy streak is unlikely to continue much longer, said Mahan. As the summer progresses, the temperature differences that cause storms balance out, bringing more sunny days.
Signature indoor attractions such as the Museum of Fine Arts have also seen a jump in visitors on Boston's dreary weekends. When the weekend days are split between one rainy and one sunny day, like this past weekend, the museum sees a pattern of noticeably more visitors on the rainier day, a spokesperson said.
Although customers have still been making their annual visits to Tony's Clam Shop on Quincy's Wollaston Beach, the weekend crowds to start off the season have been smaller with fewer families bringing young kids for seafood on the restaurant's outdoor patio and beer garden, said owner Gary Kandalaft. The clam shop has also had to cancel live music at its beer garden multiple weekends, not opening the bar they have in the back and closing earlier as soggy crowds disperse.
'It's not like it should be,' said Kandalaft. 'We've had some bad springs, but this has to be near the top.'
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But Funtleyder said she's hopeful that business will see a boost when the weather clears up, with people looking to get back outdoors.
'I am hoping that it does more than bounce back to normal,' she said. 'I'm hoping that people are excited to get outside and they come out and have fun.'
Maren Halpin can be reached at
