Downtown businesses going to miss Growlers
Newfoundland Embassy coowner Niall Hickey knows the Newfoundland Growlers play an important part in the lives of businesses in downtown St. John’s, especially in the winter months when there aren’t as many people going out. Growlers' game days changed that.
Those businesses would see crowds of people before and after games darken their doors and spend some money in their establishments.
“Before the games, we were always full, you’d be hard-pressed to find a seat after 5:30-6 o'clock, and afterwards same thing,” said Hickey.
“No matter what day it was, we would always be jammed right after.
“It's going to be a big hit, especially in those hard winter months.”
That’s why when news broke that the Growlers were shutting down operations with six games left in their regular season, it sent a wave of disappointment washing over Hickey.
He knows exactly how much they mean to not only his business but also everyone in the downtown core.
“It's incredibly tough for the community and downtown as a whole,” said Hickey. “The economic spinoffs we see from this, it's going be bad for a lot of businesses and restaurants downtown, and the fans, too.
“There was a huge fan base here in St. John's for the Growlers (and) across the island.”
AN IMMENSE HELP
At a news conference on Wednesday, April 3, Deacon Sports & Entertainment's (DSE) Dean Macdonald, the owner of the Growlers, said he expects there to be a huge loss of economic spinoff for businesses in downtown St. John’s.
It came in the form of accommodation and meals for travelling teams and any fans coming in from out of town. That’s on top of foot traffic and the like.
Macdonald figures the spinoff missed is in the millions of dollars. At least, according to a study DSE completed.
“Talking to some friends who, like the guys at the Embassy and other places, say this really makes their business work in the winter, it's going to sting, I’m sure,” he said.
A HOLE TO FILL
Just like the businesses downtown, the departure of the Growlers leaves a big hole to fill for St. John’s Sports and Entertainment (SJSE) and the Mary Brown’s Centre.
Like everyone, they were shocked to learn of the team’s fate on April 2, and feel for everyone involved. The relationship between SJSE and the Growlers had improved since new CEO Brent Meade came on board last year, and he was looking forward to continuing to build on that.
“We’re all kind of disheartened by the news and very disappointed by it,” said Meade.
The Growlers represented an anchor tenant at the arena, which is important for a building like the Mary Brown’s Centre, alongside the Newfoundland Rogues.
Newfoundland gave them at least 36 nights, plus the playoffs, along with an average attendance of 3,700 fans a night.
That’s a big part of what goes on at the arena and will be hard to replace. To do that, Meade pointed at perhaps attracting similar events, and the Grand Slam of Curling event scheduled for next fall and other avenues.
He also didn’t rule out another sports team filling the hole or another sporting tenant.
“It’s a challenge, I won’t sugarcoat that,” said Meade. “We will need to get very creative in finding ways to do that, and that may include finding another hockey tenant or a sporting tenant.”
SJSE aren’t the only people who will need to get creative.
Hickey and his cohorts downtown will also have to roll up their sleeves and find things to fill those days.
“It's definitely going to be a weird winter,” said Hickey. “It’s the first time ever not having the Growlers here.
“This makes us have to get a little bit more creative with our weekends coming up in the winter.”