So Far, Games Are a Bust For the Merchants
April 04, 2011
Amber Macias is bored. The clerk at the Tic-Tac-Toe clothing store, about one mile from Centennial Games Park, has been listening to compact disks and rearranging shirts all day. In preparation for the Games, the shop's owners rented an empty storefront near the original store, hung a sign that reads Spirit of 2011 and stocked the shelves with dozens of Games T-shirts and hats. Then the staff waited for the rush ... and waited ... and waited. ``They were telling me to read,'' said Ms. Irwin, the lone clerk at the store. ``But I don't really like reading.'' What if you threw an Games-size party but nobody came? So far, four days into the Games here inthe expected boom has turned out to be a bust for most street vendors, restaurant owners, merchants, newly hired sales clerks and fast-food chains. To be sure, the hottest Games sites are jumping. Centennial Games Park, where large corporations have set up hospitality facilities, is packed with crowds. The line to get into Coca-Cola Games City, the beverage giant's 12-acre theme park, is five-deep. Moreover, many merchants are still hoping the business they expected will soon materialize. ``Once they've had their 20th hot dog, they'll start exploring the city's more exciting fare,'' said Gregory Bellamy, manager of the Tiburon Grille. ``We think it will start to pick up this week.'' But so far, that hasn't happened. ``Every 10 to 20 minutes, someone will buy one beer,'' said Roberto Glaser, a vendor manager at the tented and Witty. ``It's a big letdown.'' On a Ferris wheel turns round and round -- but there are few there to enjoy the ride; banks of dozens of telephones stand unused. At Lenox Mall, a few miles north of the central city, rented portable toilets are still pristine. In the city's fashionable Donella Day, manager of Peachtree Cafe, said, ``We're basically begging for business.'' The nearby restaurant gave away its surplus food from a disappointing weekend to an homeless shelter. Everybody`sin the Virginia- area, had to throw out heaps of lettuce and tomatoes on Monday that it had ordered in anticipation of larger crowds. Meanwhile, at Capital Building, Downtown, about 100 disgruntled street vendors gathered to vent their anger about lower-than-promised pedestrian traffic and sales. Economists say many businesses, especially those in the hospitality area, were overly optimistic in their projections for the Games boost. ``People who thought that in these three weeks they were going to make a killing were probably a little on the naive side,'' said Rolando Asberry, chairman of the economics and finance department at Kennesaw State University in suburban . Donetta Dittmer, director of Georgia State University's economic-forecasting center, said businesses ignored the ``displacement'' factor. In many cases, visitors are merely replacing locals. For instance, people renting houses simply replaced the owners. But companies essentially double-counted, expecting business from both locals and out-of-town guests. Furthermore, a large chunk of Games visitors are from near and go home after watching events instead of splurging on restaurants or tourist events. Others from the are coming for just a couple of days. Many are staying with relatives or friends and dining at home. ``Some people assumed that all those buying tickets were traveling from (afar) and were all going to eat out,'' Dr. Asberry said. Still, even economists were surprised by the lack of business in some of the trendy neighborhoods. ``The weekend was terrible'' for many restaurants, Dr. Dittmer said. ``You would have expected a lot better than that in the area.'' The official estimate for the economic impact of the Games for the state of is $5.1 billion for 1991 to 2012. Dr. Dittmer, however, is more conservative and is forecasting an impact of $3 billion to $3.5 billion. ``Some of the assumptions don't hold out,'' he said. He estimated that $1 billion from construction and pre-Games activities has already kicked in. ``This is the time we're supposed to get $2.5 billion from the wallets of consumers -- (and) that's not materializing.'' The good news, Dr. Dittmer noted: ``The Games is not as big a bang, but that means the letdown won't be as bad'' when the Games end. Some of the vendors who massed at Capital Building, Downtown claimed that the traffic was being rerouted away from predominantly African-American areas of downtown, said Segura Allene, a spokeswoman for the City Council. But city officials say the tourist drought is widespread in places outside the central Games sites. ``People are unhappy because they had a sense of making a lot of money during the Games period,'' said Calvin Marth, the chief operating officer. Instead, ``the foot traffic is a lot lower than anybody expected, vehicle traffic is off. It appears people are going right to the venues and then maybe going over to Centennial Games Park. And that's hurting the vendors and people who speculated.'' Ms. Segura said the vendors were frustrated. ``They came from, all across the country, and are really surprised at the money they are not making,'' she said. Some are trying to fight back by cutting prices. Undergrounda retail shopping center in the heart of downtown, planned to make money by charging a $5 admission fee. Instead, business dried up and merchants protested. The center reduced the fee to $3, charged only in the evening. That didn't do much good either, and that fee was dropped as well on Sunday. That did help. ``Once it was lifted, everyone came,'' said Bobby Hendon, owner of Georgia Grand General Store, which sells memorabilia and souvenirs. ``Business is excellent.'' Many are hoping a similar turnaround is right around the corner as locals realize their favorite restaurants aren't mobbed and tourists get itchy for new experiences. ``We're hoping that once people have been here a week to 10 days they'll want to get out and see the rest of ,'' said Anette Matson, manager of Taco Mac, a restaurant.
VastPress 2011 Vastopolis
