LAKE GEORGE, N.Y. (NEWS10) – Moose on the Loose makes its business selling fresh, homemade sandwiches and other fare to shoppers passing between L.L. Bean, Under Armor and other stores inside the Adirondack Outlet Mall.

When COVID-19 meant that only stores’ exterior entrances could open, that meant a few hard months for them.

“That’s the worst possible thing that could happen to us,” said manager Hope Skellie on Tuesday.

Despite numbers below expectations across Lake George, Memorial Day weekend was one of the busiest that Skellie and the staff at Moose on the Loose have seen since two summers ago.

Their numbers were around 70 percent of the same weekend in 2019, which was actually above expectations.

Lake George Mayor Bob Blais said that low temperatures and inclement rain over the weekend definitely pushed some visitors away from the village.

Those with reservations for family activities still cashed in, but day-trippers from south of the Adirondacks instead chose to wait for sometime later in the summer.

The nice part of that is that while it does mean village businesses missed out this weekend, they’re still likely to see those people.

That fits within Blais’ expectations of a high-business summer, a hope shared by businesses through the area after more traffic than expected in 2020.

Even despite rainy days, not everyone outside was left out in the cold. Lake George Expedition Park opened on Memorial Day weekend, and owner Danna Ellsworth said that it was great to see families come through the recently-renovated park after a year of nothing.

Gina Mintzer with the Lake George Chamber of Commerce said that many weddings were held in the area over the weekend, and that this year’s Memorial Day ceremony at Battlefield Park was the busiest its ever been.