The papal visit to Philly should have been a windfall for businesses, restaurants, and retailers. Mayor Nutter and his band of government morons proceeded to create a war zone atmosphere in the city, scaring people away and creating an economic disaster for the city. This boob isn’t capable of running a lemonade stand, let alone a major city. His response was to blame the media for his miserable failure. I’m surprised he didn’t pull the race card. His reign as mayor has been a fiscal disaster. This is the cherry on the cake. Next up, another clueless democrat who will increase taxes and drive more businesses and people from this dying piece of shit metropolis.
Empty Cash Registers: Businesses Struggle Through Pope Visit
“We set up tables outside with grab-and-go items like sandwiches and snacks. When they didn’t sell, we started giving them to any homeless that would pass by,” shop owner says.
Restaurant owners say the expected crowds for the Papal weekend did not live up to the hype.
With as many as 1.5 million people estimated to have passed through Philadelphia during the week-long World Meeting of Families conference and papal visit, one would expect business was booming.
But all types of businesses, from restaurants and bars to clothing shops and even dollar stores in the city say they found it hard to make a buck during the pope’s visit.
“We have been suffering big time,” said Dollar-o-Mart Plus Dollar Store owner Asghar Ansari. “We stocked an additional $4,000 to $5,000 in product, like chargers, batteries and food items; things we thought people would need. But the only thing selling is the pope stuff.”
Several other business owners along Chestnut, Walnut and Samson Streets say they also stocked additional product in anticipation of large crowds of customers only to see it go to waste.
Mark DeNinno, owner of Chris’ Jazz Cafe at 1421 Samson Street, said he was left with mounds of extra produce that he had to ask his business neighbor The Union League of Philadelphia to store in their refrigerators and freezers when he ran out of space.
“We did maybe 10 percent of the amount of business we would normally do on a weekend,” DeNinno said. “There was a jumbotron right outside of our doors and thousands of people passed by but none of them came in. I think people just had an agenda to get from point A to point B without making stops.”
