At Gipson Play Plaza in Raleigh, families lined up outside The Family Scoop, an ice cream truck, for a sweet tweet.
"The summer is everything for us," said owner James Delaney. "Like a lot of seasonal businesses, we have an eight-or-nine-month season. We're hoping for the best weather we can get during the hot months while the kids are off of school."
The business, which opened in June of last year, is now experiencing its first full summer season.
"It's crucial," Delaney said. "To cap a summer off with good sales is always wonderful. We can stock up for next season, kind of pay off some of the investments that we've made to make our business thrive," Delaney shared.
Delaney said this weekend's weather helped draw customers after several days of extreme heat across the area.
"Sometimes that's just too hot, especially families with little kids," Delaney said. "A fresh day in the eighties with a little bit of a breeze is really wonderful. It's the perfect mix."
The cooler conditions also benefited downtown businesses. Julian Jacobs, owner of The Burrow, a vintage and secondhand clothing store with locations in Raleigh and Durham, said the intense heat earlier in the week kept customers away.
"Wednesday or Thursday when it was the hottest, we didn't make a single sale the entire day," Jacobs said. "We've never had that. And I think it was just (because it was) so hot outside."
Large events also contributed to foot traffic over the holiday weekend. The African American Cultural Festival of Raleigh and Wake County took place Sunday on Fayetteville Street, drawing visitors to downtown Raleigh and surrounding businesses. Jacobs said events drawing large crowds can have a notable increase on sales.
"When you can get that extra push of foot traffic coming through, it really makes a good day a really good day," he said.
Consumers also appear increasingly interested in Labor Day shopping. According to a CivicScience survey, 22% of people plan to shop Labor Day sales this year, up from 12% in 2022.
With shoppers remaining price-conscious, Jacobs said his Durham store plans to set up discount racks outside on Monday.
"At the end of the day, people only have so much money," Jacobs said. "If we can bring them in here, let them shop and they get more items here than they would at the mall (only) buying one, then they have a good experience and they come back later."