Businesses in the Straits area are reporting slow sales this summer, which many attribute to high gas prices for travelers, but many said a strong August rebound may help salvage the season after poor weather caused a sluggish start in May and June.

"Business is down," said Mark Eby, manager at Castle Rock. Businesses all over the Straits area are saying the same thing.

"The tourist economy up north is heavily influenced by the automobile industry," said Mr. Eby. "When they're hurting, like they have been for the last few years, fewer people can afford to come this far north, and when they do, they spend less money."

"Our area has seen ups and downs since the '70s," said Nick Jaggi, owner at Audie's Restaurant in Mackinaw City. "We're down a few percent, but that just means that we have to change how we do business and weather the storm. Things will eventually pick up again."

Traffic was down on the Mackinac Bridge this summer. The Mackinac Bridge Authority reported 504,818 crossings during July, a 12.6% decrease from the 577,844 crossings in July 2007. The number of crossings was down 6.6% in May and 11.2% in June.

"We saw very little tourism throughout May and June," said Lynn Piippo at the St. Ignace Visitors Bureau. She speculates that some of the contributing factors were bad weather, the Mackinac Bridge fare increase, and high gas prices.

"Those things are a real concern to the traveler," said Mrs. Piippo. "When they're looking at these rising prices, people tend to limit their travel to the holiday weekends instead of taking multiple summer trips."

The Visitors Bureau will have the official numbers for the season compiled by the end of September.

Summer had a slow start at The Mystery Spot in St. Ignace, as well, but it picked up through July, and August was strong, according to Randy Binger, assistant manager.

"Overall, I'd have to say it was an average year for The Mystery Spot," Mr. Binger said.

It was not the only business to struggle early in the season.

"May and June were disasters," said Chris Shepler of Shepler's Mackinac Island Ferry. He attributed the early season's low numbers to bad weather and reported seeing an upswing later in the summer.

"This August had even better numbers than last year," he said.

Numbers are looking better at the end of the season, he said, because schools are waiting to open until after Labor Day. He reported that ferries running from St. Ignace and Mackinaw City have lost business equally. About 70% of passengers travel from Mackinaw City, which is similar to previous years.

Star Line Mackinac Island Ferry also had a slow start this year, according to General Manager Tom Pfeiffelmann. Poor weather was a contributing factor, he said, but he pointed out that tourism in the Upper Peninsula has been declining for the last decade.

"If it wasn't for out-of-staters, we'd have never made it," he said, noting "half or more" of his customers came from out of state this year.

Throughout the summer, more than half of the cars in the Star Line parking lot have had out-ofstate license plates. Before adding a fuel surcharge this summer, Star Line was losing more than $1,000 a day.

"This was not a good year in St. Ignace, while Mackinaw City had an average year," said Mr. Pfeiffelmann, and he believes that this trend will continue. More than half of the ferry line's business takes place at the Mackinaw City site.

"For the last seven years or so, St. Ignace has been down every year compared to the previous year, so it's been declining steadily," Mr. Pfeiffelmann said. He attributes the drop to increased tolls on the Mackinac Bridge, a poor economy in the U.P., and lack of travel in the state in general.

Area restaurants have been feeling the decline, as well.

"It's slow," said Jane Magers at Pancake Chef in Mackinaw City. "We don't have the numbers that we usually see." The restaurant has lost the most business in the morning, as tourists are taking advantage of the continental breakfasts at hotels.

The Mackinac Grille in St. Ignace saw lower numbers this year, according to Virg Foreman, manager. It was also one of several businesses to report that more customers paid with credit cards than cash this summer.

The Dixie Saloon in Mackinaw City had a great year, said Sharon LaVecchia, manager. She noted that a lot of people seem to be taking vacations closer to home, and that there has been an increase in the number of Canadian customers.

"It's been a really great summer," she said.

Kathy Arnold, manager at Murdick's Fudge Kitchen in St. Ignace, said that business was down this summer, even during Car Show and Labor Day weekends.

"It's the same story with all of the businesses around me," said Mrs. Arnold. She also reported seeing a drop in the number of large families passing through. She believes that high gas prices are largely to blame.

Garlyn Zoo in Naubinway saw a drop in business for a different reason, according to owner Lynn Moore.

"US-2 traffic was down, and that's mainly because of the signage on I-75," she said.

Drivers coming into the Upper Peninsula were advised of construction on US-2, and many chose to avoid that route completely.

"For the last 15 years, our numbers have gone up every year," Mrs. Moore said. "This year, we were down a few percent."

She reported seeing fewer motor homes than usual this year. She also saw more coupons come in than in previous summers.

"People are just being a lot more thoughtful with their money," she said.

There are benefits in a summer like this, according to Mr. Shepler.

"With fuel prices through the roof and rider numbers down, we're using this time to trim away at our expense side of the ledger. We will be in a better spot when numbers go back up."