DETROIT (WXYZ) — The countdown is on for Tigers Opening Day in Detroit.
The game is set to start at 1:10 p.m. Friday and businesses are already gearing up.
"The Tin Roof experience is just a party all day long. We got music starting at 8 a.m. We got fast passes going for $100 to skip the line," said Assistant General Manager Austin Davidson.
Davidson says last year on Opening Day, the bar doubled their sales from the previous year. Tin Roof says they’re hoping to see that same success tomorrow.
"It’s good for the whole city. I mean everyone benefits from it. I know a lot of people even if they’re injured, they’re trying to get in to work opening day. It’s Detroit's biggest day of the year," said Davidson.
As always, visitors can expect road closures on Brush St., Adams Ave., John R St., Witherell St., and Montcalm St. immediately surrounding the ballpark. This year you’ll also find closures near Cadillac Square and Campus Martius as the city prepares for the NFL draft. The closures have slowed many drivers down already.
"For those coming in and out and around Greektown, a lot of stuff is going on," said Madison Heights native Mike who made a stop downtown Thursday. "It’s exciting but also I know where to go. I’ve been to opening day but it is complicated if you don’t know."
Business owners caught in the draft construction area say they're concerned they won't see the same foot traffic they've had during Opening Days of the past.
"Typical opening day you have floods of people all around Greektown, Campus Martius walking up and down the street happy if we win. Even if we don’t win, they still come in and purchase a shirt or a souvenir," said Cliff Green who is a co-owner at Hot Sam’s on Monroe St.
Hot Sam's has been in Detroit since 1921. The men's clothier is the oldest in the state. Green says the fencing and closures from the draft construction already cost them nearly 50% of their sales over the Easter holiday.
"Unfortunately this year, we missed out on a lot of business because of the preparation for the NFL draft. Easter for us is very similar to Christmas and we didn’t quite understand some of the logistics in terms of how they were gonna prepare the openings for our customers to get here," said Green.
The shop next door, Red Rose Florist, says their customers have been having issues getting to them too.
"It’s kinda hard to get things delivered because people can’t come up in front of the shop to purchase anything. Then getting flowers in is even more difficult," said Stan Nelson with Red Rose Florist. "Greektown is right here. You got restaurants and bars and you may have people who grab a bouquet or flower or something during that time. The construction will slow up the traffic a great deal."
Business owners say despite the challenges the construction zone brings, they remain hopeful it’ll be worth it in the end.
Video of directions on how to get around the construction for those who speak Spanish:
"We’re excited because the draft is directly across the street from us, from Hot Sam’s, and they project maybe 300k, 400k people to come. So we are hoping that we can benefit during the draft but up until the draft it’s been a challenge," said Green.
After the draft concludes, there will still be road closures near Cadillac Square and Campus Martius Park through May 7. The stores along Monroe St. say they will validate parking for the lot on Farmer St. for patrons who would like to support them during construction. For more information on the stores, head to their respective websites.
