Holiday offers tourism relief for Savannah businesses

SAVANNAH, Ga.

Diane Bailey says she had little choice: sell beer or go bust. So for the rowdy St. Patrick's Day weekend, she's turned her dress shop into a saloon.

Dresses, sequined shirts and straw hats were pushed to the back of Bailey's store, and a temporary plywood bar was moved up front.

Bailey normally closes her River Street shop during St. Pat's, when the cobblestone corridor of bars and souvenir shops becomes a sprawling beer bust.

But sales at Bailey's boutique, E.J. Scandals, have been dry as a tapped-out keg since Sept. 11. And the St. Patrick's celebration promises two things she needs -- crowds and cash.

"I've already got the word out that we've got to sell unless this St. Patrick's Day pulls us through," Bailey said. "People don't want clothes on St. Patrick's Day -- they want beer."

For Savannah's tourism economy, normally slow during the winter months, St. Pat's offers the first real chance for relief from a downturn attributed to the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.

About 40 conventions and business meetings scheduled between September and December were canceled or rescheduled, resulting in empty hotel beds and an abundance of leg room on tour trolleys.

Struggling business owners, expecting healthy crowds this weekend, hope their cash registers will be gushing with green like the emerald-dyed fountain water in Savannah's oak-shaded squares.

"For a lot of them, it's the cash-flow kick that they need to get ready for the spring," said Rod Musselman, general manager of the downtown DeSoto Hilton Hotel. "It doesn't make up for the fall. But is it something that's desperately needed and anticipated? Absolutely."

By the numbers, St. Patrick's Day is the biggest day of the year for Savannah. Started in 1824 by Irish immigrants, the annual parade is now the nation's second-largest with an attendance of about 400,000 last year.

A study conducted last year estimated a $30 million economic impact just from the riverfront crowd of 97,100, about a fourth of the total.

Businesses are confident the crowds will come back. Musselman said his hotel was already 85 percent booked and should be sold out for the weekend.

Several merchants cited the success of the Olympics in Salt Lake City as evidence that Americans no longer fear entertainment events becoming terrorist targets.

Having the holiday on a weekend doesn't hurt, either. Though St. Patrick's Day officially is today, the parade and other events were bumped to Saturday -- a longstanding tradition that conveniently sidesteps Georgia laws limiting Sunday alcohol sales.

So storefronts were festooned with their normal array of gaudy green goods -- beads, bowler hats and shamrock-embroidered vests. Bars and restaurants ordered beer by the truckload.

The Cotton Exchange, a cozy riverfront tavern, plans to go through at least 30 kegs of beer and more than 1,200 bottled beers during the weekend, said general manager Chris McFall.

"We're going to order a tremendous amount," McFall said. "I'm hoping we're going to be bigger than last year."

Savannah police say security will be tighter as well, but would discuss few details.

Though plenty of patrol officers will be on foot and horseback, the city doesn't plan on adding National Guardsmen to the mix, as New Orleans did during Mardi Gras, said Savannah police spokesman Bucky Burnsed.

He said police may ask partygoers to submit to random searches of backpacks, coolers and other containers.

Tourism is Savannah's second-largest industry, next to the ports, employing 20,000 people in the city and surrounding Chatham County. St. Patrick's Day is not only the biggest tourism day of the year, but also signals the kickoff of the spring's peak visitor season.

Pat Tuttle, owner of Hospitality Tours and Gifts on Wright Square, said tour operators have already hired new drivers and guides in their post-St. Pat's optimism.

Tuttle is even stocking more green beads, plastic souvenir cups and "Irish eyes silly specs" to sell on the street than she did last year, when she sold out.

"It's been such a long, dry winter," she said. "We've not seen as many tourists as we have in the past. So it's catch-up time now. We need St. Patrick's Day so we can pay all the bills for the winter."

However, Bailey seems to be the only retailer who's gone as far as competing with bars and restaurants by selling beer. She had to pay $1,000 for a beer license and comply with city rules requiring on-site entertainment. (A guitar-player friend agreed to perform in the shop.)

"We've never done it before, so who knows if we're going to make any money," Bailey said. "I could sell one keg, or I could sell 20."

Ashley Bowersox, south Georgia marketing manager for the Guinness-Bass Import Company, said businesses hungry for profits can always count on thirsty crowds.

"In times of recession, people turn to the bottle," Bowersox said. "I'm in a pretty recession-proof industry. People drink when they're happy, and people drink when they're sad."