29-04-2025
‘Utterly underwhelming': Green Bay businesses report losses, underwhelming sales during NFL Draft
ASHWAUBENON, Wis. (WFRV) – Despite seeing more than a reported half a million fans across the three days of the NFL Draft, businesses in the shadow of Lambeau Field and a couple miles east in downtown Green Bay saw little to no economic boost. In fact, some business owners and managers say they took a net loss.
'It was actually a lot slower than how it usually is towards the end of April for us. Sales were down maybe 50%,' Cold Stone Creamery Green Bay owner Amin Elhalw said. 'Gradually the closer we got to the draft, the sales were decreasing, the percentage. Maybe because of the roads and stuff as well.'
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Traffic also created a headache for Michael Wier, owner of Kroll's West, who says he is taking a net loss or breaking even from the aftermath of the draft.
'It sounded like there would be many more cars on the west side of the stadium than there actually was,' he said. 'If you take three days, one really good one, one really poor one, and one above average, and the three weeks that this road is closed, unless they can get it open quicker, it'll be a negative or about a wash.'
At Tundra Smoke Shop, revenue is not smoking either, as the entrances of the NFL Draft campus were positioned across Lambeau Field from the store.
'We definitely thought we'd see a little bump and that didn't happen,' Tundra Smoke Shop manager Josh Gribble said. 'What I think is just because the way the entrances were set up on the other side, that Oneida St. didn't really get as much traffic as much as people would've thought because there aren't entrances on this side.'
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In downtown Green Bay, business was not any better.
'We saw a little bump in business but certainly not what we expected at all. Utterly underwhelming to say the least,' Prohibition Spirits and Cigars manager Rob Ziese said. 'We, from Wednesday to Saturday, doubled up on employees. Two during the day, four at night. Really, none of it was needed.'
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