Friday, April 4, 2008
Bars all over Lawrence have been busy restocking their alcohol supplies this week to prepare for tomorrow’s Final Four game against North Carolina.
Andy Kroeker, manager of Fatso’s, 1016 Massachusetts St., said a lot of bars were in the midst of recovery from the sea of Jayhawk fans that flooded downtown Lawrence and ransacked them dry after last Sunday’s victory against Davidson.
“This whole block was ground zero so everyone just sold out of everything,” he said. “People would come in with these huge orders of like eight beers and 10 different kinds of shots, and towards the end of the night we had to be like, ‘alright, we don’t have any of this stuff,’ so they just took whatever we had left.”
Kroeker said Fatso’s would have an extra supply of alcohol for Saturday’s game, and he scheduled extra staff to handle the inevitable plethora of fans.
O'Malley Beverage, Inc.employees Noah Clouse, left, and Tucker Craig, right, unload kegs in the alley behind Red Lion on Thursday evening. Downtown bars, like the Red Lion, are stocking up on beer in preparation for Saturday night's Final Four game where Kansas takes on North Carolina.
Chris Elliot, Independence senior and bartender at Quinton’s Bar & Deli, 615 Massachusetts St., said that judging from what he saw Sunday, he would probably have to work a triple shift all day and all night on Saturday.
“We were super packed on Sunday,” he said. “We ran out of all kinds of beer and liquor, so by the end of the night we just had to start customizing our own shots.”
Elliot said Quinton’s would be completely restocked for Saturday’s game and the upstairs bar would open early at 3:00 p.m.
Sarah Shields, a bartender at Jet Lag, 610 Florida St., said the owners bought four brand new, high-definition, flat screen TVs this week for fans to watch both Final Four games throughout the day.
“We plan on setting them up so people can see the games from outside on the smoking deck,” she said.
She said Jet Lag would also be grilling food all day long.
Abe & Jake’s Landing, 8 E. Sixth St., plans on inviting Gran-Daddy’s Q to sell barbecue inside the bar all day, said Colin Elwell, event manager for the bar.
“We hope to be pretty crowded by about four,” he said. “At the 2003 Final Four game we were packed all day long.”
Abe and Jake’s will put up three giant projectors that will feature both Final Four games, Elwell said, and it plans on opening its doors at 9:00 a.m.
Crimson & Brews, 925 Iowa St., will feature two Xbox 360s where people can play March Madness video games, said Ryan Weekley, the bar’s owner.
He said his bar would also have beer pong and 50 cent tacos.
Bars aren’t the only establishments trying to bank off the Final Four.
Sales skyrocketed in Lawrence this week for businesses that specialized in Jayhawk apparel, such as Jock’s Nitch Sporting Goods, 837 Massachusetts St., where Ryan Owens, store owner, said phones have been ringing off the hook with orders all week.
“We’ve been busy with not only customers, but also our Internet Web sites have been shipping KU apparel all over the country,” he said. “T-shirts have been the most popular items.”
He said the two T-shirts he has sold the most of have been KU regional locker room T-shirts and the Adidas Final Four celebration shirts the team wore right after its victory against Davidson.
Hy-Vee, 3504 Clinton Parkway, also decided to cash in on Jayhawk apparel. It now features a giant T-shirt stand at the front of the store.
John Olson, store manager, said selling T-shirts has become a common business trend around Lawrence this week.
“It seems like everyone who has the opportunity to get Final Four apparel is hopping on it,” he said.
Oslon said Hy-Vee planned on seeing a huge spike in sales on Saturday.
“When KU went to the Orange Bowl, business skyrocketed quite a bit,” he said. “We know people are having a lot of watch parties, so we plan on seeing a huge spike in snack food sales and other party supplies.”
Owens said that while Saturday looked like a big day for business in Lawrence, he expected Sunday to be the biggest day of all for Jock’s Nitch and other clothing stores.
“After we beat UNC – knock on wood – Sunday will be a lot crazier than Saturday,” he said.
— Edited by Patrick De Oliveira
Mass St. turns into ground zero for ...
Downtown businesses handle the flow of fans following the Jayhawks' victory in ...
Fans flood businesses with sales Sunday
Bars and stores extended business hours Sunday for basketball fans.
Businesses have many customers despite move of ...
With Saturday’s game being held in Kansas City, Mo., Lawrence business owners ...
KU apparel stores compete in saturated market
With as many as 15 places to buy KU gear in Lawrence, ...
KU Final Four T-shirts to be donated ...
Businesses that pre-ordered KU Final Four T-shirts are now forced to donate ...
Businesses suffer as fans leave disappointed
Massachusetts Street stores and bars see fewer profits following the Kansas men's ...
KU Athletics teams up with adidas
Do This: Design Your Own T-Shirt
Express yourself with a completely unique tee.
Orange is the post season’s new green
Local retailers see increase in bowl game merchandise sales as students return ...
Businesses get smoking decks
New south Lawrence retailer wants to attract ...
Home game hype attracts bar patrons
The 9-0 start for the Kansas football team has increased business as ...
Businesses cash in on political t-shirts
Demockratees and other businesses are catering to heightened interest in the wake ...
Lawrence’s luau rivals Manhattan’s Patty’s Day
Seven bars are participating in Lawrence’s first Larryville Luau Saturday.
Pushin' Booze
The Rock, Paper, Scissors tournament sponsored nationally by Bud Light was more ...
Lawrence offers various venues for nightlife
University of Kansas students voice their opinions on which bars they enjoy ...
Championship parade takes over downtown
Basketball players and coaches, the Marching Band, Chancellor Hemenway and fans from ...
Unlicensed: A T-Shirt Tale
Meet Larry Sinks, the man behind JoeCollege.com and its controversial T-shirts.
Downtown businesses benefit from successes of basketball ...
Various establishments along Massachusetts Street have taken advantage of thousands of fans ...
Retro jerseys are bringing the ‘80s back
The items, including a DVD of Kansas’ 1988 Final Four games, t-shirts, ...
Local bars survive without students
Some bars stay vacant over breaks while others tap into loyal customer ...
Joe-College.com faces off with Athletics Department in ...
Local apparel store’s famous T-shirts “Muck Fizzou” may become a thing of ...
Fans react to Kansas' defeat in second ...
Students respond to upset with shock, anger, and alcohol.
Move to Arrowhead affects more than fans
Although the fans and players have been affected, Sports Dome has seen ...
Halloween options available for students
Students can show off their costumes at a bar or one of ...
Student finds void in KU merchandise
After several months and hundreds of dollars, Miller has turned his idea ...
All tabbed out
Scene and Heard: College night at Quinton's
New place. New faces.
Raid rivalry shirt made for personal use
The Missouri alumnus who designed and printed four KU-MU rivalry T-shirts said ...
Local merchants prepare for sidewalk sale
Annual sidewalk sale begins Thursday.
Homecoming festivities create extra revenue
Hotels filled and bars ordered more inventory in preparation for influx of ...
Spring Break can hurt some bar business
Some bars closed during Spring Break due to lack of students.
Top of the Hill
Students will be able to vote for their favorite places in Lawrence ...
Kansas athletes involved in Saturday night fight
Moon Bar owner worn-out, to sell property
Editorial: Downtown businesses need student support
Local businesses deserve loyalty during the economic hard times.
Joe College to close its doors for ...
Customers can buy marked down shirts until final day of business Wednesday.
The Bay Leaf is closing its doors
The downtown Lawrence kitchen store is shutting down after 35 years of ...
Businesses, shoppers prepare for Sidewalk Sale
More than 80 downtown businesses are participating, some opening as early as ...
Twelve alumni buy ‘The Bull’
The new owners of the bar don’t want to change their former ...
From left: Kimberlee Hinkle, Libby Johnson and Hannah ...
1 comment
Kansas Jayhawk fans hold aloft a reproduction of ...
2 comments
Erin Saupe, a Ph.D. student from St. Cloud, ...
1 comment
0 comments
Armed robbers continue to threaten.
3 comments
Lecture from Greg Mortenson, co-author of New York ...
0 comments
Comments
Use the comment form below to begin a discussion about this content.
Sign in to comment
Or login with:
OpenID