The Colorado Rockies’ spectacular September run toward the playoffs has been an unexpected boon to sports bars and restaurants near Coors Field.
Business owners in LoDo cheered the Rockies’ win over the San Diego Padres on Monday night not only because they’re fans but because it gave the Rockies a wild-card spot in the playoffs and ensured another weekend of sold-out crowds in LoDo.
“We’ll get 3,000 to 4,000 people walking through here tonight. I had to call in a lot of favors (to be prepared),” said Scot Minshall, general manager of Jackson’s All-American Sports Grill, directly across the street from the ballpark.
He said business was up almost 250 percent during the weekend homestand against the Arizona Diamondbacks, compared with other baseball weekends.
“It’s all pretty new to us here in LoDo,” he said.
Minshall and other bar operators near Coors Field said they received special deliveries of food and alcohol throughout the weekend and Monday to be prepared for the sold-out tiebreaker game.
Before this week, Denver hadn’t experienced the excitement or economic impacts of baseball in October since the Rockies made the playoffs in 1995.
City officials said they didn’t know how Monday’s game would affect sales-tax revenues but said the extra game extended an already good weekend for tourism throughout the state. There was the Rockies game, good weather for viewing the changing fall colors in the mountains and an Ace Hardware convention that drew 17,000 to Denver.
“Having the Rockies in a playoff game (Monday) just extends the economic impact of the weekend for an extra day,” said Rich Grant, spokesman for the Denver Metro Convention and Visitors Bureau. “When you’re in the tourism business and you have a Sunday like yesterday, you wish every day was Sunday.”
A few fans who attended the Rockies rally Monday afternoon in front of the ballpark flitted into the Sportsfan nearby to buy Rockies T-shirts.
“Business has been steady. It’s been a good season,” said manager Rick Ryman. “It could be even better if we get to the playoffs.”
Ryman said business this season picked up after the Rockies swept the New York Yankees in June. Ryman said wild-card winner T-shirts and caps will probably be available this week.
Some businesses expected crowds to match or exceed those typical of Opening Day.
“Compared to a regular game, (we expect to) double or triple the sales. We ordered 25 additional kegs, and that’s not counting bottled beer,” said Kyle Hesseltine, general manager at the Sports Column on Blake Street. “If they make the playoffs, that would make a huge impact for the year.”
“We’re jazzed up,” said Chris Black, manager of Falling Rock Tap House in LoDo, which specializes in craft beer. “This weekend, we’re up 35 percent, compared to a normal weekend.”
But one LoDo business failed to see any uptick at all over the weekend. Only seven people entered Spikes Sports Memorabilia shop, which is below street level on Blake Street about a block from the ballpark.
“If someone had told me 14 years ago (when I opened) that I could have 30,000 to 40,000 people walk past my shop and I couldn’t get more than two or three people in, because I’m downstairs, I wouldn’t believe them,” said owner Hal “Spike” Greimann, clad in a Rockies shirt and cap.
Still, he said this is special for the Rockies – and as a fan he’s pulling for them. But next year, he’s moving because his rent is doubling.
Kimberly S. Johnson: 303-954-1088 or kjohnson@denverpost.com
