TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WTXL) — The Capital City Chamber of Commerce estimates $7 million is brought into Tallahassee during a normal Florida A&M football season, with homecoming making up a large percentage of those dollars.
The money is being spent at places like stores, restaurants, hotels and even food and boutique booths at the FAMU marketplace all weekend long.
Katrina Tuggerson with the Capital City Chamber said with COVID-19 having a traumatic impact on minority businesses throughout the year, homecoming provides the boost they need to make it until the first fiscal quarter.
"It is so needed to be sustainable," said Tuggerson. "We're seeing across the community that a lot of the restaurants are closing and a lot of small businesses are closing, so this weekend will actually give them the boost to make it to the first quarter of the year and the end of the year to make them thrive and so that they can set goals for next year."
The chamber also says that during a typical FAMU football season over 17,000 out-of-county visitors make their way into Tallahassee. A majority of those come for Homecoming.
Wayne County Commissioner Alisha Bell from Detroit was one of the thousands of out-of-towners who came to FAMU for the game.
"FAMU has a history of having wonderful homecoming celebrations and having so many wonderful students that are here or coming back," said Bell.
"We're able to build revenue for our businesses and helps us be able to build capitol in other ventures we may be trying to go into," said owner of Right on Que BBQ Jeremy Battles.
Battles was one of the hundreds of businesses outside of Bragg Memorial Stadium Friday afternoon.The money he'll make homecoming weekend will be able to put him over the hump to afford a food truck, and later, a brick and mortar restaurant.
"It definitely does help build your brand," said Battles.
