With MSU hosting the first and second round of the NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament, East Lansing's downtown businesses are gearing up for fan traffic.
"We'll see an increase in activity, especially with restaurants that cater to sports fans like (Buffalo Wild Wings Grill & Bar) and Crunchy's," said Tim Dempsey, East Lansing's community and economic development administrator.
Stores in the downtown area, such as Steve & Barry's University Sportswear, 515 E. Grand River Ave., and Spartan Bookstore, in the International Center, sell predominantly MSU gear and are waiting to see how both the women's and men's teams perform before bringing in products.
"When they both went to the Final Four, there was a nice increase in business," said Dawn Doyle, general merchandise buyer at Spartan Bookstore.
"The (earliest) we do something is Sweet 16 and the Elite Eight."
In Spartan Corner, 103 E. Grand River Ave., a store that sells both MSU and greek merchandise, St. Patrick's Day merchandise has overshadowed MSU product sales, said Connie Harper, the store's manager.
"We're not seeing any traffic now on the green-and-white side," she said.
"Hopefully that will change; we will see a little bit this weekend. If we start to win, we all will be stepping up."
Steve & Barry's has seen a light influx of customers from outside the region purchasing products for the men's and women's tournaments, but the store predominantly sells MSU merchandise, said John Marshall, the store's stock specialist.
"With the women's tournament and visitors coming into town, we will see increased activity," Dempsey said.
He added that the hotels and small retailers such as Student Book Store, 421 E. Grand River Ave., and East Lansing Marriott at University Place, 300 M.A.C. Ave., would not reap great benefits.
The city doesn't have anything special planned for hosting the women's tournament this year, Dempsey said.
"It's pretty much like any other tournament," he said. "The level of excitement is based on how a team performs. That's all to be determined, and hopefully the teams will do well."
Luke Bostic a co-owner of BTB, 403 E. Grand River Ave., said he is ready for the tournament to begin.
"I think it's pretty cool," he said. "I'm a basketball fan, so it's exciting for me."
Bostic said the restaurant hasn't planned anything out of the ordinary for the tournament, and the possible extra crowds, but he thinks basketball fans will be drawn to the store's 50-inch plasma screen TV.
