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Riverboat arrivals help downtown economy

By Heidi Hall ~ Southeast Missourian

Impossibly cheerful volunteers dispense paddlewheel-shaped lapel pins and offhandedly suggest they be worn immediately -- the pins are a signal to store owners who these important folks are.

Some merchants come in early, stay late and generally plan their lives around pale blue schedule sheets issued by the Convention and Visitors Bureau.

And when shop bells jingle, clerks perk up just a little more than usual. "Are you from the boat?" they ask with a welcoming smile.

It's downtown Cape Girardeau when a riverboat cruise docks at the floodwall and a couple hundred tourists and their purses make their way down the gangplank. They are kings and queens for a day downtown, where riverside merchants know a boat stop means a difference of $200 to $1,000 in the cash register. Local tourism officials have estimated each riverboat visitor spends $75 on an average day in Cape Girardeau.

If that held true for the 260 passengers of the Mississippi Queen who stopped here Saturday, it would mean an extra $19,500. And, by cruise season's end, there will have been another 21 stops much like it -- a serious factor in downtown's economy, merchants say.

"If the boat comes in early, I come in early," said Phyllis Humphries, manager of Patricia Ann's on Main Street. "There are eight or nine Sunday stops this year, and I will be here for every one of them."

Merchants casually call passengers "boat people," as in, "we've had several boat people in today." The boat people are generally retirees who can afford cruises, which cost from $625 to $2,675 a person for five nights on the Mississippi River.

They will stop at virtually any store, and some eat lunch on land, even though food is included on the boat.

Selling and buying

Ray and Mary Gallagher of Pass Christian, Miss., quickened their pace when they spotted Kids Wear Again on Main Street. Within minutes, they bought a baseball-themed jumper and cap for their unborn great-grandson but skipped some matching shoes for another dollar.

Cruising the Mississippi River is something they always wanted to do, Mary Gallagher explained.

"We love to shop when we travel," she said. "There was a tour to something, but we decided we would rather go around downtown. I'm impressed with all the little shops down here."

Amber Ellinghouse, who works in the family used-clothing business, said customers like the Gallaghers aren't unusual.

"They come in and shop the bargains for their kids and great-grandkids," she said. She didn't have a figure on how much a boat stop helps the store.

In the Wine Cellar owner Bill Wilkins scurried around his restaurant and wine shop helping a sudden crowd of customers, finding a Styrofoam cooler for one and demonstrating an unusual corkscrew for another.

He said he and his wife, Jan, have owned the store since October and learned that boat visitors are hearty lunch customers and "buy a lot of wine."

At least, that was the case for David and Robin Zaleski of Gatlinburg, Tenn., who walked out with a couple bottles plus two six packs of Budweiser. Their 30th wedding anniversary is today, and they looked forward to celebrating with friends on the boat.

Shopping trip

Robin Zaleski is a travel agent and always makes shopping part of her trips, she said.

"Our whole house is filled with shopping," she said. "Your downtown is really pretty and has a lot to offer cruise ships coming in. It could use more little shops with unique gifts, because that's what a lot of people look for."

Not every boat person leaves Cape Girardeau entirely happy. One elderly couple meandered up and down Main Street, anxiously peering into store windows. They finally stopped a native.

"Aren't there any men's clothing stores right around here?" the husband asked.

The native thought for a moment and said no, but a Convention and Visitors Bureau greeter could possibly arrange a short trip up the road.

The man looked incredulous. "No, I'll wait for the next stop," he said.

The next stop: New Madrid, Mo., this morning.

hhall@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 121