Homepage

Small CNY Businesses Benefit From Big SU Game Small Businesses Benefit From Duke Game

By Francesco Simone

Manny's on Marshall St. was one of many local businesses that received a financial boost as a result of last Saturday's Syracuse men's basketball game against Duke.
© 2022 Francesco Simone

Reporter: SU athletics is a lifeblood for local businesses. That is especially true when big-name programs come into the Dome. Bert Aufsesser, the owner of Scholars and Champs on South Salina Street, says there’s a sizeable difference between Duke and everyone else.

Aufsesser: One of those other games you might get five, ten, a dozen people come in looking for stuff for a game. You know, for the Duke game, you, you literally had, you know, hundreds of people coming in looking for a new outfit for the game.

Reporter: Aufsesser says his profits were higher Saturday than in the entire month of January. Manny’s on Marshall Street also enjoyed the economic boost, and, for co-owner Bill Nester, the renewed relationships were just as valuable.

Nester: After close to 40 years, you know, you get to know these people so they always come in and say ‘hello,’ and..uh..it’s just…it’s just fantastic, it’s uplifting.

Reporter: Uplifting financially and emotionally for small businesses. Francesco Simone, NCC News.

Syracuse, N.Y. (NCC News) – Syracuse men’s basketball was never in the game against then-No. 7 Duke on Saturday. At no point did the Orange have a lead on their way to a 97-72 loss at the hands of the Blue Devils. However, just having a game with fans in attendance was a win for small businesses near the Dome.

The most fans for any game in college basketball this season, 31,803 to be exact, were there to watch Hall of Fame Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski’s final contest in the Dome. The excitement surrounding the game, combined with the sheer volume of people at it, drove customers to local businesses.

For Scholars and Champs, a Syracuse University-themed clothing retailer on S. Salina St., the week leading up to the Duke game was the most profitable since September 2019, when the SU football team hosted Clemson, according to the store’s owner Bert Aufsesser.

“One of those other games you might get five, ten, a dozen people come in looking for stuff for a game,” Aufsesser said in reference to other men’s basketball games this season. In contrast, Aufsesser said, “For the Duke game, you literally had hundreds of people coming in looking for a new outfit for the game.”

According to Aufsesser, more than half of Scholars and Champs’ revenue is tied specifically to Syracuse gamedays, whether it is for football, men’s basketball, or men’s lacrosse. Much of it is dependent on major contests. The store made a greater profit the day of the Duke game than it did in the entire month of January.

Manny’s, another SU-centric clothing store on Marshall St, saw a similar kind of economic boost. Co-owner Bill Nester, like Aufsesser, called Saturday his most profitable day of the basketball season. However, Nester, who started his career at Manny’s in 1983, remembered something else as the highlight of his day.

“After close to 40 years, you get to know these people so they always come in and say ‘hello.’ It’s just fantastic, it’s uplifting,” Nester said.

The next opportunity for Syracuse athletics to host a marquee matchup is expected to be on Oct. 29 when the football team takes on Notre Dame.

Related Articles