Let’s start with a story. I had a remarkable business reminder the other day in the grocery store. I saw one of our great local restauranteurs who is very intentional and charming on their social media channels. I mentioned a recent video they had posted and how nice it was, and they thanked me. Then I asked how the summer is going, and they said, “This rain on the weekends is just killing our numbers.” It was a stirring reminder for me.

We have wonderful businesses and restaurants in our area, and as a service-based state, we need to remember that you can have the best product, best staff and best business practices in place, and still fall victim to things beyond your control such as the weather (and road construction, inflation, etc.). As the father of two boys who love nothing more than being outside, the rainy weekends have been a major frustration (the 2-year-old will sadly stand by the window as it rains like the popular Kermit the Frog meme). However, for as frustrating as it may be for my boys’ backyard adventures, for businesses, rainy weekends can be extremely costly.

Maine has arguably 30 “good”-weather weekends per year, and while the others are mostly bearable, the businesses follow the proverbial phrase that they “make hay while the sun shines.” And when the sun doesn’t shine on the weekends and people stay home, that traffic loss doesn’t get recouped. Meaning, if you hit your averages in the weeknights, but Friday is down 25% and Saturday is down 50%, you can’t make up for that. If you lose 25%–50% on one weekend due to rain, it hurts. For it to happen for a full month of weekends, it can ruin a season.

What can we do?

First things first: We can overcome our discomfort of the bad weather. Put on some boots, grab an umbrella and still go out to our favorite spots just as planned, even if the weather is icky. Will it be a postcard night? No. But you will see friends, support a favorite business and likely come away with a full belly or that much-needed retail gift for you or a loved one.

Another option is to patronize those businesses on the “off days” of your schedule. For as bad as the weekend weather has been, Wednesdays and Thursdays have been downright delightful — so maybe grab dinner atypically on a Wednesday if you couldn’t on Saturday? Maybe stop into that shop on your lunch break to try on that outfit you wanted. Order pickup from your favorite sandwich shop or boutique if you don’t have time to stop in and browse. It may not fully make up for the weekend losses, but your favorite businesses will appreciate the bump on their slower days.

Finally, remember, in a capitalist economy, the businesses who stay in business are the ones who get supported. You can share good news about a business, like their social media posts or recommend them to others all we want, but the ones who make it are the ones whose cash registers ring. Even for those of us who may have fewer dollars to spend right now, when you do decide to use those dollars, make it a conscious choice about who you want to support and what they mean to your community.

Now, I want to completely shift gears and share a thought on the weekend to come.

As I’ve mentioned in recent columns, there are a ton of June activities. June is Pride Month, and we have two Pride celebrations happening, with Bath Pride on Friday night in Waterfront Park beginning around 4 p.m. and Brunswick Pride happening on the Brunswick Mall from noon to 5 p.m. on Saturday. Conversely, there are two community street events happening in each community opposite these Pride events. The Brunswick Downtown Association’s 2nd Fridays kicks off Friday night around 4 p.m., while in Bath on Saturday afternoon the Centre Street Block Party is happening beginning at 3 p.m. (rescheduled from last weekend due to — you guessed it — rain). So that’s Friday: a Pride celebration in Bath, with a community street party in Brunswick, and Saturday, a Pride celebration in Brunswick, with a community street event in Bath.

As for national events, in celebration of Flag Day, there will be a military celebration parade in Washington, D.C. with tanks, missiles and the might of our military on full display in the streets of the Capitol on Saturday. Due to the parade, there are a number of counterprotests scheduled around the country in opposition, under the label of No Kings protests. From what I’ve seen, there are around two dozen communities in Maine scheduling First Amendment–protected protests that are a mix of stationary gatherings in certain communities, while other communities have planned walks from a starting point to a specific destination in their community.

It should be an interesting Saturday.

Here’s the thought I want to share with all of you: Regardless of what events, rallies or protests you attend — or choose to comment about on social media this weekend — it’s very unlikely your favorite politician will see it, but your friends, neighbors, family, clients, customers, competitors and fellow business leaders will see you. When engaging in what you believe, may I suggest you do so in such a way that doesn’t alienate or hurt your neighbors. To do that, perhaps focus on what you love — promote the good side of your views rather than focusing on hate.

The cast of “Hamilton” preformed a 10-year reunion of their musical hits at the Tony Awards last weekend. One of the song lyrics that struck me was when a regretful Aaron Burr says, referring to Alexander Hamilton, that “the world was wide enough” for both of them. Take that to heart. The world is wide enough that all of us can have a place.

Cory King is executive director of the Bath-Brunswick Regional Chamber of Commerce.