Trials a bust for downtown business
By Molly BlancettEUGENE, Ore. - The date was set and businesses got ready. "There are lots of reasons to want to host something like the Olympic Trials and one of the reasons is business opportunities," said Luck Noodle manager Tracy Reyes. But the predicted boom has been more of a bust for downtown business. "We haven't seen the boom we were expecting to see," said Reyes. "Unfortunately we haven't seen a great increase in traffic," said 5th Street Market Manager Bri Bridges. Everyone's feeling it, restaurants and retailers. "More than anything I'm disappointed for our tenants," said Bridges. "We were hoping that with the economy the way it is, this would give everybody kind of a little jump." Not surprisingly, the one store that isn't hurting downtown is the Nike Store. But that doesn't mean that people are coming to spend money at other places. "We are seeing the athletes here," said Bridges. "They've been doing a morning run club starting from Nike. We have seen people running around the city. Unfortunately, they aren't shopping or dining." Practice doesn't always make perfect, but it can make better. And for downtown businesses the '08 Trials may be just that, a practice run for when they return in 2012. "Maybe in the future hopefully we can look into doing more things at the market or at Oakway or down on Broadway so people get a better idea of what Eugene is about," said Bridges. And though the streets are blocked around Hayward Field, nearby businesses are still open. Traffic is flowing and there's still time for business to cash in on the Olympic Trials. |
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