Summer heat bad for Valley businesses

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- When it gets this hot, most people try to escape by finding something to do inside.

Which is why for businesses at places like the Fulton Mall, the summer time, can affect the bottom line.

Family Fashions has been at the Fulton Mall for 15 years. At this point, workers here know what to expect on a hot summer day.

"It changes business a lot," Sung Lee with the business said. "Because there are less people are walking around."

If they are walking around, he says they're going somewhere else.

"Especially an indoor mall where it's air conditioned, nice and cool," Lee said. "They're more likely to get the business as opposed to us."

Down the street, Downtown Fresno Partnership is trying to change that by hosting The Market on Kern every Wednesday.

"The people come out, see businesses, see that there are a lot of business, go in check them out, get to explore Downtown Fresno," Tatevik Hovhannisyan with the partnership said.

But on days like today, there's not a lot of action.

"It gets very slow when its hot outside and even though there's always this very nice breeze in this area, people still don't come out because I feel like they see that there's going to be the high degrees of temperature," he said.

It's not as bad in Old Town Clovis unless the heat is extreme.

"The retail stores suffer a bit, especially when it gets over 105," Cora Shipley with Scoops Coups and More said. "But anything under that, we have loyal customers. Old Town is a great place to be."

For Shipley, it's a bit of a double-edged sword.

She owns both a retail shop and an ice cream shop, a place that will be very popular this weekend as the Business Organization of Old Town brings back the sidewalk sale.

"Even though it's shady it's a wonderful place to be, to walk in but it is a little warm," she said. "So, the sidewalk sale will bring them in for the sales and its just going to be a nice weekend."

After all, the weekend is what many businesses live for no matter where they are.

"And I think Saturdays going to be, what, 101, not much cooler but a little bit," Lee said.