Pittsburgh-area businesses largely satisfied with boost that came from U.S. Open

Pittsburgh-area businesses largely satisfied with boost that came from U.S. Open
Pittsburgh-area businesses largely satisfied with boost that came from U.S. Open
Pittsburgh-area businesses largely satisfied with boost that came from U.S. Open
The U.S. Open has come and gone. There was a promise of big business for stores and shops in Oakmont and the surrounding area, with hundreds of thousands of people coming to see the golf championship.
Things are back to normal for Somma Pizza and Sports Bar across the street from the Oakmont Country Club, a packed house on a Friday night.
"We had a lot of traffic from across the street because we are right here. We did a lot of big parties," owner Susan Somma said about business during the U.S. Open.
Regulars didn't show up as much with the anticipated traffic surrounding the area. It didn't matter, as Somma saw more business than usual, up about 30%.
"Wonderful. Everyone was so nice," Somma said.
Further down the hill and into Verona, Inner Groove Brewing did well. Owners said they were anticipating more. During the day, it wasn't as busy when people were at the course.
"They were in early or a little bit later, but not during the day," Inner Grover owner Kelly Melle said.
Thousands of people were bused in and out to alleviate traffic, but it drove them past businesses without stopping in. Word on the street within the business community was that it wasn't a bad week, but it didn't necessarily meet what they hoped for.
"I don't want to say disappointed. We were hoping for a little bit more. I think because you couldn't leave the Open, that was a big difference," Melle said.
With all that said, these business owners want to see the Open come back. It was the talk of the town and gave people a chance to see the area.
"This is a prestigious thing that happened right in our backyard. Everything we did, we enjoyed," Somma said.
There is hope to change some things, like letting people leave the country club and be able to re-enter.
"So that they can come and shop and maybe follow people they like, golfing during the day or evening, have a break to come into town," Melle said.
In 2016, the estimated economic impact across the Pittsburgh region for the U.S. Open was $220 million. It's believed to be close to that again for this year.

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Fast Company

2 hours ago

• Fast Company

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On Sunday, J.J. Spaun sank a 64-foot putt to win the U.S. Open, one of the PGA Tour's four major tournaments. Over the final seven holes, he made more than 136 feet of putts, including that curling 64-footer on 18. He was the only player to finish the U.S. Open under par, and it was his first career major win. It was also the first major win for L.A.B. Golf, the boutique manufacturer that outfitted Spaun with his DF3 custom putter. L.A.B. Golf is the new company shaking up the putter circuit, and its innovation is simple. Traditional putters have shafts that attach in front of the clubface or at the heel, creating twisting forces during the stroke. L.A.B. putters position the shaft directly through the putter's center of gravity, behind the face, the shaft stabbing the putter head like a toothpick spearing a square of cheese. This creates a nontraditional forward shaft lean that eliminates torque and helps the face naturally stay square throughout the putting motion. 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Chicago Tribune

3 hours ago

• Chicago Tribune

Dick's Sporting Goods seeks village financial support for Orland Square House of Sports concept store

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'This would be a great addition' to the village, Trustee Michael Milani said. 'It looks like a great concept.' 'Experiential retail is where people are heading,' Milani said. Trustee Dina Lawrence called the proposal 'a very compelling business plan.' Orland Park officials are studying the potential creation of a tax increment financing district as an incentive tool for filling the long-vacant Sears store. Trustees passed a resolution in March to allow TIF funds to be used to redevelop the space, at the southeast corner of the mall. TIF money can be used to pay for public improvements as well as incentives for developers. Orland Park is also spending up to $30,000 for adviser SB Friedman to study whether the property, including the adjacent large parking lot, qualifies as a TIF. Factors such as blighted conditions, including declining property values, are considered in determining whether a property or multiple properties qualify as a TIF under Illinois law. The village has said part of the large parking lot hugging the Sears space would need to be used to provide additional stormwater storage for the mall and surrounding properties. TIF funds could be used to pay for that. 'We are at capacity with what we have' now around the mall perimeter, Village Manager George Koczwara, village said at the committee meeting. While Simon owns the in-line store space and common areas, mall anchors own what are called their own pads, including parking. California-based Cubework owns the Sears property, and at one point announced plans to convert the store into a 'co-working mall.' Corno said that Dick's has a tentative handshake deal with Cubework to buy the site. Before Cubework's ownership, plans had been proposed for a 10-screen 45,000-square-foot AMC Theatre along with retailers and restaurant tenants on the upper level of the Sears space. That came before the announcement of the store's closing, and theater plans never came to fruition, partly due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Cubework had looked at using the interior space to rent kiosks and pop-up spaces to small businesses, offering short-term leases.

Yahoo

5 hours ago

• Yahoo

Top Steelers NFL draft prospect LaNorris Sellers passes up huge NIL deal

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