<< I asked the manager how business was. He said it was slow in May, not much better in June, but July was very busy.>>
FWIW and somewhat loosely-related, but nonetheless perhaps indicative of an improving economy....
A friend has a boarding kennel in a rural state. The past two years were dismal for her business. This year has represented a major turnaround. Bookings have been up since Spring Break and she's been booked solid for most of the summer. Several pets boarded for 3-4 weeks and a few even longer
Her assessment based upon chats with customers is people are going stircrazy after two years of self-imposed austerity and feel themselves deserving and "in need" of vacationing again. No big surprise, i guess, that some habits lifestyles, and mindsets die hard....
On the other hand her show-dog breeding business is still on very hard times. She has sold very few dogs--even "pet quality" -- and reports, too, the same for all others she knows across the nation and across many breeds.
Apparently such discretionary spending still remains quite spotty.
WD
