Business is hit or miss downtown during Wells Fargo Championship

WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) — The Wells Fargo Championship brought many golf fans to Wilmington. For businesses downtown, the greens could bring in more green.

Many businesses were expecting a larger than usual turnout.

Some businesses saw no difference in their sales with the championship.

But according to Hayley Jensen, owner of Beer Barrio, she saw a huge increase in foot traffic.

“Each day picked up more and more. So, each day was a little busier than your typical Monday or Tuesday, but by the time we got to the weekend, it was just full force. Just extremely busy,” Jensen said.

She expected a large turnout and was prepared for it.

“We were anticipating a lot of foot traffic and a lot of tourists and just a lot of people in town for the golf tournament. So, we tried to be really prepared: ordering extra food, extra beer, just to really have everything we needed, supply wise,” Jensen said.

Many visitors to Wilmington have enjoyed the different businesses and the atmosphere of downtown.

“The streets were easy to follow and easy to remember. All the shops were open and have things that I liked, so that’s good. The food has been great. I haven’t had anything that I didn’t like,” Hallie Souldies, from Chicago, said.

Some waited almost an hour to be seated.

“We finally got here to Beer Barrio to get some appetizers, to wait for our spot in line and it’s kind of like being back in New York. Everything is very much in high demand, people are out on the streets, walking around,” Erica O’Brian, from Brooklyn, said.

Jensen says experiencing downtown is a must.

“I just think people really need to come downtown as often as they can to enjoy everything that’s going on,” Jensen said.