The T.C. Film Festival Means Business

The parties, the tickets, the after-movie glasses of wine!
No one can say for sure how much extra moola that the second Traverse City Film Festival will bring to the area during its run July 31st through August 6th. But most downtown retailers a say they like the energy the festival brings to town, no matter the amount of cash they ring up.
Laurie Loomis of Raven’s Child said that it’s hard to judge whether retailers like herself saw an increase in sales during last year’s festival since that week is fairly busy anyway. “I know it did not diminish our traffic and brought a lot of our local people downtown. What was amazing to me was the energy it created.”
Some businesses see a huge increase, while others might see a decline because their regulars stay home, wanting to avoid the crowds, said Bryan Crough, executive director of the Downtown Development Authority.
“But I think the number one thing I heard last year was the connectivity between venues was just so wonderful. People could park and go to one venue to another and not have to drive,” Crough added.
Amy Reynolds, co-owner of Horizon Books, said the festival had a neutral effect on sales. “People didn’t get out of line to buy books. But we’re 110 percent behind it. It’s been a wonderful asset to the community and we’re very proud to have it hosted here. I think keeping it in town was an act of brilliance—the Opera House, the State Theatre, the Old Town Playhouse, all that here. I was just thrilled to death.”
One of the busiest places in town last summer during the festival was Amical restaurant, next door to the theatre. Owner Dave Denison said his business was up 15 to 20 percent last summer during the festival week. “What the festival did for us and other restaurants was to fill us up during times that might otherwise be slow. We were busy at 3:30 and 4 p.m. So during normally slow times, we were packed.”
To handle the busy traffic this second time around, Denison is adapting the menu with entrees that are quick to prepare and easy to serve. He’ll stay open later—until midnight—during festival week.
“Business this year also picked up during the National Cherry Festival. The week of the Cherry Festival used to be the slowest week [in the summer] for us, but this year it was the second slowest and that’s two years in a row,” he said. “It was hard for the Cherry Festival organizers to believe that business was slower for some of us until they started holding forums and getting feedback. They thought when people were downtown, they were spending money, but what they found out was totally different.”
Speaking of food, four delis are going to serve box lunches for movie goers looking for a quick bite between shows: Grand Traverse Pie, Folgarelli’s Import Foods, Crema and Expresso Bay, said Deb Lake, Film Festival manager.
Tom McManus, who sells hotdogs in an open plaza across the street from Horizon Books, said he’s very busy during the Film Festival and says the city should designate an area for vendors (he rents the space from a private owner). “I’d also like to see the State open all year round. There’s something about a downtown with a theatre.”
Craig Golden, owner of Golden Shoes, said that foot traffic increases for his store during both festivals. His biggest day during Film Festival last year was Friday, a “tremendous day” when sales were up by nearly 40 percent. Golden believes he has found the magic lure: flip flops in all colors. That gets the customers in the door and then they buy other stuff.
Cali’s Cotton Boutique also saw a definite upswing in business last year. The people were the same type who prefer boutique clothes, said Peggy Richter, store manager. “I think it brings in people who like to see more diverse kinds of movies, who like the unique and creative. They’re more boutique kind of shoppers,” she said.
Dawn Gildersleeve of DeYoung’s art supply store said that she never knows what to expect from festivals: “Last year the Cherry Festival didn’t do much for us—a lot of walk-through traffic, dropping ice cream. This year, it was a great week, but you know the Blue Angels were here, and I think that makes a difference.
“The Film Festival is right across the street. We liked the crowd last year, they were polite. It was a nice group of people to help and deal with. The locals didn’t stay home. We saw a lot of locals who we hadn’t seen all summer. What brings people into the store are the local posters and prints of the area.”
A COMPARABLE FEST
A press release issued last year by the Santa Barbara International Film Festival announced that its 10-day event brought in an estimated $7.3 million in revenue into the county.
The numbers were based on $311,000 in ticket sales, plus money spent on lodging ($100 per night), food ($90 per day), transportation ($19), retail sales ($175) and other entertainment.
The Traverse City Film Festival last year sold about 50,000 tickets, so at $7 per ticket, sales were basically comparable with the Santa Barbara festival. But the problem with using that formula is that hotels here are typically packed in early August, and it’s hard to say how many people are coming from out-of-town.
“We don’t have any rooms to sell. That’s been the issue,” said Roger Funkhouser, manager of the Bayshore Resort. “The availability is so tight. For people who want to come up, those people are booking a year out. If you’re planning a last minute vacation for the film festival, it’s going to be difficult.
“I don’t want to downplay the significance of the Festival. I think there are a lot of people who want to come and can’t because they can’t find lodging, which is unfortunate. This is prime summertime, and the festival falls right in the heart of it. The last two weeks of July and the first two weeks of August are the busiest. That’s when we see the demand. We’re putting up a lot of the [Film Festival] crew, and we’re scrambling to get rooms for them.”

MORE ABOUT MONEY
The Film Festival is an almost all-volunteer effort with just one paid employee, but there are people who make money by supplying merchandise and other goods.
Mark Jensen, owner of Jen-Tees, supplies both the National Cherry Festival and the TC Film Festival with t-shirts and hats. This year, he enjoyed record retail sales of more than $220,000 from the former, and is hoping to exceed $100,000 in retails sales from the latter.
“Right now, it’s slow,” said Jensen, talking about sales in front of the State Theatre where volunteers are manning a table. “We’re doing, oh gosh, between $250 and $500 a day, conservatively. We anticipate a big night on Friday Night Live, and during the Film Festival, when people are here, with the excitement, getting caught up in the moment.
“This year, we’re going to try to expand sales. We have more merchandise, and are spread out more selection wise. We’re using a couple of logos, the original logo of last year, the official logo for this year, and we’re using what they didn’t want to use—the grunge logo—but I forced them to. Variety is what sells.
On the party front, Allison Beers, who organized six Film Festi val after-movie parties, said that she went with 99% of local businesses to supply the events (much of the food and drink are donated or underwritten). She decided to leave several nights open so that visitors and locals hit up the area’s many restaurants.
She believes the local economy will benefit long after the Film Festival is over.
“Let’s say someone in town visiting from another city in another state tries a Northwoods Soda at one of our evening events, falls in love with it and tells his brother who owns a distribution company in their hometown and wants to pick up their product. ... There are 20 plus suppliers this could happen to from the evening events alone.” View On Our Website