We are coming up on Columbus Day, the traditional end of our summer tourist season.

So, it seemed time to take a minute from watching Washington politics on TV to visit some Boothbay Harbor merchants to ask about their summer business.

The verdict: the tourist business was mostly good for some, really good for others, but the spell of hot, humid weather tended to flatten out the balance sheets of others.

Over at the Boothbay Harbor Region Chamber of Commerce, Patricia Royall, the executive director said business was generally pretty good.

She explained this year’s tourist traffic was boosted by more than 30 visits from the American Cruise Line ships. The 200-foot-long vessels stop in Boothbay Harbor bringing a couple hundred tourists to our shores for a day or so.

“They moor in the outer harbor, and the passengers are brought in on a launch often spending time shopping and stopping for a meal,” she said.

The 50 or so large buses that seem to clog our narrow streets help the economy by bringing in dozens of tourists.

Royall said the chamber tries to boost local merchants on Facebook, where they received more than 18,000 visits, while more than 7,000 visitors walked through the Chamber’s front door seeking information.

On the real estate side of the market, the region’s sales started off slowly then took off, said Bruce Tindal, the principal at Tindal & Callahan.

“It was a little slow at first then, in July it went gangbusters,” he said. “We found that if properties are priced right, they will sell. If not, they sit.”

Two of our best-known merchants are the Gimbels, Mark and Dianne, and seafood expert Russ Pinkham. Both were pleased with the summer season. Both have big plans in the works.

The Gimbels, who operate the iconic tourist stores, including The Smiling Cow, Gimbel & Sons Country Store, and Gretchen’s Closet, say their business was about on par with last year.

“We saw it slow down a bit during the late summer heat wave. It was just too hot for people to come out and shop,” Mark said. An air conditioning unit is in the works to solve that problem.

“In addition to the cooling units, the Gimbels have agreed to take over the large Mountain Tops T-shirt store located on the waterfront. Plans call for it to become a combination marine museum and retail store.

It will be named The Windjammer. Plans call for decor to celebrate the Maine coastal schooners that once called Boothbay Harbor home.

Calling himself sort of a history buff, he said he plans to collect artifacts, including ship models from the era. Lots of local families have collected items from the schooner era, and he said they would love to borrow them for the museum displays.

Although plans are fluid, plans call for a display of historical photos, including an enlarged photo of about 50 fishing schooners at anchor as they wait out a storm.

For years, Pinkham’s Seafood was a small store featuring fresh seafood favored by many residents and chefs.

On July 28, Russ Pinkham opened the doors of a new offering, Pinkham’s Gourmet Market, in a new building on Route 27, across the street from Hammond Lumber. John Wagner, a wood supplier, gourmet cook, and wine fan, designed and built the building.

“We wanted to open it sooner, but, you know some suppliers were…” said Pinkham.

In addition to his seafood offerings, Pinkham has included high-end beef and pork. And, he brought in a local butcher to trim it up.

He is Pete Hurst, who got his start at age 17 at the old Carbone’s Market. He came down after working in markets in Damariscotta. Pinkham says some of his customers have followed him down the peninsula.

In addition to the seafood and gourmet grocery items, the store features a tempting array of meat. Filet mignon, strip and T-bone steaks are on display along with fresh ground beef, pork chops and chicken.

Pinkham knows the rush of summer customers will taper off after the water is turned off, but he plans to stay open through the winter months.

Wagner agrees. “If you wait for the (traffic) lights to turn green, you would never leave home,” he said.

As we chatted, Lisa Page, who lives near the top of Mt. Pisgah, picked out a huge “Tomahawk” steak that would make Fred Flintstone proud. It is a huge rib-eye steak attached to a foot-long rib.

“It is a surprise for my husband Neal who turns 51 today,” she said. It will be the centerpiece of family dinner topped off with Lisa’s prized homemade cheesecake.

Neal Page’s tomahawk steak weighed almost 3 pounds.

“I believe people will pay a little more if it is good,” said Pinkham.