Ravens Hometown Pride Leads To Money For Baltimore Businesses
BALTIMORE (WJZ) -- Well, if you were in the business of anything that to do with the Ravens or the color purple, business has been good.
Monique Griego has more.
A sea of people took over downtown Baltimore as the Ravens returned to Charm City for their championship parade.
"Anybody who is here can't deny the energy. All these people are buying lunch. All these people have parked," said Mike Evitts, Downtown Partnership of Baltimore.
Evitts says these huge crowds mean more money for Baltimore businesses--today and in the future.
"All those numbers mean something to the city and on top of that, you've got all the exposure," Evitts said.
But the parade was only part of the economic impact. T-shirt presses in Baltimore worked overtime, trying to keep up with the demand from Ravens fans who bought the T-shirts the moment they hit the shelves.
"It's been crazy. It's surreal. Customers are the best here in Baltimore," said Dan the T-Shirt Man.
In Rosedale, a winning team kept Dan the T-Shirt Man booming with business, especially after a championship win.
"It's a blessing for the whole area, all the restaurants, the bars, all the small businesses like ourselves," Dan said.
Mullan Nursey Company also reaps the economic benefits as the amount of people looking for purple lights to light up for the playoffs grows.
"We're lucky to have a team that's competitive every year," said Bob Fritsche, Mullan Nursery. "We want to help people express their excitement."
The buzz in Baltimore kept local bars and restaurants busy during and even after the Super Bowl run.
"Apparently a lot of people took off because of the win so we had a full bar yesterday all day long," said Randy Cullison.
"The last four weeks have just been incredible," said bar manager Bob Simkp.
Bar manager Bob Simkp said while sales spiked, so did the atmosphere of the city.
"Baltimore is back. Baltimore is in the limelight. It's awesome!" he said.
Downtown was the center of that light Tuesday as tens of thousands of fans filled the streets.
Tuesday's parade also meant a lot of people were going downtown to eat and shop, so the benefits continue.
