COLUMBUS, Ohio (
WCMH
) — Stonewall Columbus’ vibrant
Pride March and Festival
officially wrapped up Saturday, bringing hundreds of thousands to Columbus. And for local businesses, it’s a major money maker.
“Honestly the turnout today was phenomenal,” Karar Bahar, who works for Parlay Sporting Club and Kitchen, said.
Businesses in the Short North have been busy this pride weekend.
“The bar was full,” Hubbard Grille manager Alli Sharp said. “Once a table got up, we sat another one right after that. We had to have some extra help in the kitchen to get all that food out, make sure customers and guests were still happy. Brought in some extra bar and extra servers this weekend. We definitely usually only run with one or two, but today we ran with up to five.”
According to Stonewall Columbus executive director Densil Porteous, their pride march and festival significantly boosts central Ohio’s economy. NBC4 is a proud sponsor of the event.
“It’s about $16 million over the course of the weekend that people can see sort of expenditures, so that’s hotel rooms, food, nightclubs, going out,” Porteous said. “So it’s really it’s just a wonderful thing to bring community together but there’s also a huge economic impact.”
Area businesses said they spend a lot of time preparing beforehand. For Hubbard Grille, that meant looking at last year’s sales to determine what they needed to order ahead of time.
“We definitely did have to order more wine and beer and all that is expected,” Sharp said. “We do a much busier lunch than we do normally as we are right at the end of the parade. So we do most of our business this weekend between noon and three.”
Many businesses in the short north adjusted their hours in anticipation for big crowds.
“I love pride because it does bring everyone together and the way pride not only supports the LGBTQ+ community, but also our communities in the Columbus area, these businesses, it’s just cultivating space for everybody to feel like they have the right to exist and belong,” resident Laten Jordan, said.
Businesses said while the boom in business is always nice, the best part of pride weekend was the peace, love and unity.
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