Chicago businesses prepare for a 'Beyonce bump' this weekend
CHICAGO (CBS) – Queen B is coming to town, Beyonce that is, and with the Renaissance World Tour just a few days away, businesses are already preparing for a wave of concertgoers.
CBS 2's Sabrina Franza explained.
Some are calling it a "Beyonce bump," an uptick in business, because, in about 48 hours, Soldier Field is going to become a "Beehive."
"It's quite a big bump for us in terms of our typical July weekend business," said Mal Strong, co-owner of Goldplated.
At Goldplated in Lakeview, they're seeing double the business this weekend than they saw during the same weekend last year.
"Our total number is appointments is about 50% more than what it was," Stong said.
Kudos to Queen B, who is making her way to Chicago. The staff is prepping to glam all the single ladies and anyone else heading to the Renaissance World Tour.
"We just specialize in getting people ready to go out," said Strong.
Data released by the search engine Yelp shows Chicago is not alone. When Beyonce made her way to Philadelphia, search traffic for beauty services like nail salons soared 193% higher than normal. Searches for hair stylists rose 73%.
Experts expect the same to happen this weekend.
Following Taylor Swift's visit to Chicago, businesses learned a thing or two.
"Taylor Swift just showed us how much live concerts have become a whole new genre," Strong said.
At Goldplated, they've started buying boutique merchandise specific to the style of the concert coming to town.
"With Taylor Swift, we weren't as ready as we could have been with boutique buying," Strong said. "There were a lot of different eras going on and people had different aesthetics they were going for, and so we had something but maybe not as much as we could have had. We kind of remedied that on the next buying trip because of Beyonce, we knew it was coming up."
They're adjusting their tactics to avoid any Deja-vu.
"People are just loving the opportunity to pick up an outfit on their way to a party or whatever other event they have going on," said Strong.
This business is by no means alone. CBS 2 spoke to restaurants bussing fans to the concert itself. There are events before and after Beyonce performs all weekend:
- Goldplated Lakeview/River North offers hair, makeup, and clothing to get you Beyonce-ready
- All Things Beyonce Sidetrack pre-party, Thursday, 9 p.m. to 2 a.m.
- Spray Paint and Sip - Beyonce Takeover, Friday 9 p.m.
- Beyonce Renaissance Tour Drag Brunch, Saturday 11 a.m.
- Beach Yoga: Beyonce Renaissance Theme, Saturday 8 a.m. to 10 a.m.
- Bussin' to Queen Bey pre-party, with $5 one-way rides to Soldier Field, Saturday and Sunday