An ice-cream question...:) (Brussels)

Hi everyone,
I'm helping a friend of mine with a little research and would very much appreciate your input, especially if you have been living in Bxls for quite some time...
Bxls is a beautiful city but unfortunately the weather tends to be on the "miserable" side...grey, cloudy, rainy, chilly...the sun, it seems, is a bit shy...
This said however, there are quite a few Italian "gelaterie" all over Bxls and the weather doesn't seem to stop the "Bruxellois" from enjoying an ice-cream in one of the well-known parlors...
Now the question is...why is this??? Is it because the "Bruxellois" are so used to the weather that it doesn't stop them from having an ice-cream? Can a "gelateria" survive in such an unfriendly weather city? Would you still go for an ice-cream when it's cloudy and chilly outside?
Hope to receive your thoughts on this... thank you :)