Local Businesses To Tap UNC's Football Crowd

That's the mantra of the Chapel Hill Downtown Commission, which will sponsor a booth at Tar Heel Town in Polk Place prior to Saturday's football game against Texas.

The organization -- which represents the businesses that operate in the town's central business district -- will try to tap into the large market of visitors who flood campus for games, said Robert Humphreys, executive director of the commission.

He said the booth also will appear before the Sept. 28 game against Georgia Tech.

"We just decided to give it a try for a couple games," he said. "If it works really well, we'll probably do it the subsequent two Saturdays."

Michelle Lewis, aide to Chapel Hill Mayor Kevin Foy, said she suggested the idea to the commission at one of its meetings.

Lewis said some business owners seemed concerned that with the popularity of Tar Heel Town, fewer people were visiting the shops and restaurants of Franklin Street.

"There's a downtown that would like to see them too," she said.

But Humphreys said although there might have been some concern from business owners, Tar Heel Town has not hurt downtown commerce.

"I don't think it's had any adverse effect," he said. "That's part of the ceremony of the football game."

Humphreys said the commission collaborated with the Chapel Hill/Orange County Visitors Bureau when Tar Heel Town started about six years ago but discontinued the effort after two seasons.

Whereas the previous booth was more information-oriented, this time the commission will serve as more of a promotional tool, he said.

Michael Jordan's Restaurant-23, University Florist and Gift Shop, Office Supplies & More, Laughing Turtle and Laughing Turtle Design will appear at the booth Saturday, with some businesses holding giveaways, Lewis said.

She said the booth will try to rotate the participating businesses if they choose to continue with the project after September.

The Chapel Hill Chamber of Commerce also will be on hand to distribute information about local businesses, she said.

Patrick Cowden, executive chef of Michael Jordan's Restaurant-23, said the restaurant will have a free raffle for an autographed photograph of the establishment's namesake. Cowden said the restaurant has not suffered due to the allure of Tar Heel Town. "Go to any restaurant before or after a football game," he said. "Those are banner days."

He said the booth will help solidify ties between the business and the University and also will give the restaurant a new marketing outlet. "That's an opportunity to touch potentially 60,000 people."

The City Editor can be reached at citydesk@unc.edu.