Brighter days for beach businesses | pnj.com | Pensacola News Journal

Brighter days for beach businesses | pnj.com | Pensacola News Journal: "For most Pensacola Beach and Perdido Key businesses, Christmas in July is more than just wishful thinking. The back-to-back weekends — July 4 to the Blue Angels Air Show coming Saturday — are their make-or-break time, the summer's sweet spot for raking in profits.

From watercraft rentals to souvenir shops to restaurants and hotels, expectations for waves of locals and free-spending tourists are running high.

Despite the generally sunny outlook among beach business owners, their optimism is always tempered by one big variable: the weather.

And few merchants know that any better than Joan Clayton, owner of two Go Fish Clothing and Jewelry shops on Pensacola Beach. "If the weather holds up, it will be great," Clayton said of the big week. "If it rains, we're in trouble.""