OLYMPIC FEVER HAS EFFECT ON BUSINESS

Situated inside a relatively small entrance to West Park Mall, a lone bench doesn't get much use.

On Sunday, it was the most popular site in the mall.

It didn't take shoppers long to discover that the bench, and the standing area around it, offer a clear view of two televisions in Garfield's restaurant and bar. And the TVs were tuned to America's current favorite broadcast -- the Olympic Games in Atlanta.

People stopped to watch basketball, gymnastics and boxing Sunday afternoon, moving along during the commercials. Others went inside for drinks and tables closer to the screens.

"This is a great thing for us," Garfield's manager David Schmidt said. "This time of year, there's no football, basketball or hockey, and people aren't as likely to come in and sit through a nine-inning baseball game."

The bar's biggest crowds so far were for the opening ceremonies and a Saturday night Dream Team basketball game, Schmidt said, but he expects several more good nights over the next two weeks.

Foot Locker, an athletic shoe and apparel store in the mall, also was a popular stop for game watching. Assistant manager Michele Harre said people quit buying and started cheering when women's swimming began Saturday night.

"It hurt the sidewalk sale," Harre said. "Maybe there's another reason it was slower this time, but I think people wanted to stay at home and watch the games."

Marcellus Jones is getting a double Olympic dose. He works two jobs, one at Champs athletic apparel store and another at Applebee's Bar and Grill. Both businesses have televisions tuned to the games, although Applebee's switched early Sunday afternoon for the Cardinal game.

Several mall shoppers stopped by Champs Saturday and Sunday to ask Jones what games had been played and how the United States athletes were doing.

Jones said he has tried to follow the events in between assisting customers, and he planned to watch them at home Sunday night. His favorite events are gymnastics, track and field and mountain biking, a new addition to the games.

One customer who stopped by Champs to check out the Olympics was Kristen Woods, a Jackson High School basketball and softball player. She bought some merchandise, then stopped to watch women's basketball.

At home, her television is almost constantly tuned to the Olympic broadcast.

"I was going to go this year to watch softball and it didn't work out," Woods said. "But I'd love to go when I get older and play on the Olympic softball team."