EMMET COUNTY, Mich., (WPBN/WGTU) – August 7 marks the midway point of the Summer, and businesses and restaurants are still seeing crowds here in northern Michigan.

But as Summer enters its second half, some businesses will face a new hurdle as a chunk of their workforce will be heading back to school.

In Petoskey, Roast & Toast makes a point of bringing in students to work over the Summer, since it is their busiest season.

“Yeah, we usually try and have quite a few in the Summer because it's our peak time when we need employees,” said Ben Walker, the owner of Roast & Toast. “And it's good that they can come in, work a little bit, then get out of here and go on with their lives.”

Walker explained this year, they hired more teens than usual.

And while school is a month out, he’s already losing his first college student.

“It’s always a balance,” Walker said. “There’s always a few days where it's like ok, they left a little earlier than we needed, but you know, we started hiring again for fall.”

“We had a few people coming in for applications and interviews, which is really great,” Walker said. “So, it’s getting ready for the wintertime because we’re steady right on through until November."

Year-round businesses like Roast & Toast certainly feel the pressure of losing this workforce.

But chamber of commerce staff say it hits Summer-focused businesses the hardest.

“They still have their help wanted signs posted,” said Sarah Van Horn, president of the Charlevoix Chamber of Commerce. “I think they know that they’re going to be losing that workforce in a couple of weeks.”

“You go to any store, any restaurant downtown, you’re going to see high school and college-age students working there, so it’s definitely going to be a hit that they’re getting ready for,” Van Horn said.

Van Horn says they still see help wanted signs in most businesses across Charlevoix and says businesses are still asking the chamber to let people know they're looking for work.

While losing a good portion of their workforce is never good, Walker says it lines up well with when things start quieting down after the Summer.