ArtPrize hurts and helps businesses

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) - Many downtown businesses reported huge gains during ArtPrize because of the increased traffic. Others said the competition took most of their customers.

The Dog Pit on Monroe Center scheduled double their normal number of staff because management knew the restaurant would be swamped.

"Crazy busy: I mean that pretty much sums it up," Josh Sweedyk of the Dog Pit said. "We've had to make emergency orders from our food provider since we've been running out a couple of days. It's been insane, lets just say that."

A few blocks away, HopCat managers repeated the same sentiment. During ArtPrize, liquor and food sales skyrocketed 30%, they said.

"ArtPrize was pretty insane as far as how busy we got," Garry Boyd, HopCat ringleader said. "I had a couple of days where I didn't think we could get better and then the next day, we just destroyed those numbers."

ArtPrize isn't keeping every neighboring business in the black, however.

A local farmer who gives tours to families on the weekends has seen a 75% drop in business. He spent the weekend down at ArtPrize, reminding people what his company offers.

"I'm down here actually to recoup money for the income I've lost on my tours at the farm," Paul Geer, who runs Frozen Creek Floral Farms, said.

"Originally, we're three weeks. Now we've kicked up to almost seven weeks in order to try and recruit more of the people coming in."

Not every farm is showing a negative ArtPrize impact. On a farm where pumpkins outnumber people and kids can eat what they find, owners report no obvious ArtPrize effects.

"The first year, we did notice some slack, but the people still came out," Christine Steffens said.

She and her husband run Steffens Orchard and Market from August through October.

They're busy giving hay rides, showing kids how to pick apples and making sure bugs don't eat all of their pumpkins.

"[Our customers] didn't live down at ArtPrize," she said. "They came down here for the weekend to do 'you-pick' apples and 'you-pick' pumpkins. Honestly, I can't say it affected us."

ArtPrize won't break even this year. The Executive Director told 24 Hour News 8 that it expects to be a nonprofit company, landing in the black by next year.