51jp Daily (Tar MM
Stores expect increased revenue
Owners attribute
spike to alumni
BY PATRICIA LAPADULA
STAFF WRITER
As Homecoming Week rolls
around, many Franklin Street
businesses are anticipating slight
ly higher revenue from the thou
sands of students and alumni who
will purchase food and parapher
nalia.
Judging by the massive amount
of boxes ready to be sorted out and
stored behind the bar at Top of the
Hill, restaurants in the area are
bracing for the crowds flocking into
Chapel Hill for Homecoming.
“As you can see, we are getting
ready," said manager Guy Murphy
as he sat next to dozens of boxes.
“It will start picking up around
Thursday of Homecoming week."
Other bars popular among alum
ni include Goodfellas, Lucy’s and
He’s Not Here.
Area restaurants expect to see an
increase in sales from 10 to 25 per
cent during Homecoming. This
year’s Homecoming will feature a
football game against Arizona
State University.
Business owners said they
expect to see an increase in student
turnout, as well as more sales from
alumni retuning to town for the
event.
“There will be a great number of
... alumni coming back and visiting
their old hangouts,” said Aaron
Nelson, executive director of the
Chapel Hill-Carrboro Chamber of
Commerce.
In addition, he said events such
as Homecoming always have had a
great impact on the town’s econo
my. “Carolina football definitely
draws a good deal of people.”
Local owners said it is hard to
say whether this year’s revenue will
rise compared to previous years,
but UNC football even with a
losing record greatly influences
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the Chapel Hill economy.
And employees said they are not
particularly worried about the out
come of the game.
“If there is a good crowd, it
doesn't really matter," said Jerry
Brooks, manager of Ham’s of
Chapel Hill.
He said games against teams
like Florida State University' tend
to attract a lot of people even if the
team is having a bad season.
“But of course we want the team
to start winning,” he said.
Greg Turner, a manager at
Johnny T-Shirts, said that if the
Homecoming game were against a
rival school or even another ACC
team, overall business might see a
far more noticeable increase.
“During football weekends we
see a lot of former students, some
that graduated anywhere from 10
to 30 years ago," he said.
Businesses around the
University do not appear to be
affected by the economic slump
that has slowed down some indus
tries.
“We assume it would be better,
but so far it hasn’t been bad at all,"
Murphy said.
Shelton Henderson, owner of
The Shrunken Head Boutique, has
been selling UNC paraphernalia
since 1969, and said he enjoys
every minute of it, Homecoming or
not.
“On Saturdays, we give away
buttons and tattoos, the line goes
out the door,” he said. “We have a
lot of loyal costumers and friends
that come over.... It is our love for
the school.”
Though that kind of welcoming
attitude keeps people coming back
for more, Henderson admits that
“if the teams wins, we win.”
But no matter the record, he
said Homecoming can be
described in one way. “It’s good
business, and lots of it.”
Contact the State & National
Editor at stntdes@unc.edu.
Homecoming 2003
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DTH FILE RHOTO
Patrons gather around for a drink at the bar of Top of the Hill on a Tuesday night. The restaurant, bar and brew
ery, located at 100 E. Franklin St., is one of Chapel Hill's most popular night spots among alumni and students.
“There will be a
great number 0f...
alumni coming
back and visiting
their old hangouts”
AARON NELSON,
CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
MONDAY, OCTOBER 13, 2003
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Fa^tcjate Shopping Cen te 2 . Chapel Hill
Open t — 13% .HHCC
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