DAYTON, Ohio (WKEF) — It has now been one week since the kickoff of the NATO PA in Dayton. Several local businesses throughout downtown Dayton said the same thing, the conference negatively impacted their business.
PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Dayton businesses urge local support amid NATO event with limited downtown access
“This was more special than I think a lot of people realize, in terms of being on the world stage if you will,” said Dayton mayor, Jeffrey Mims at Wednesday’s city commission meeting.
The Dayton City Commission and Mayor commended what they called a successful NATO parliamentary assembly, but, some downtown businesses are saying something else.
“I don’t view it personally as a glaring success,” said Zackary Weiner, owner of Jollity.
Weiner, in the Fire Blocks District just steps from where the NATO village once stood, told Dayton 24/7 Now’s Gwyneth Falloon business was down while the assembly was in town.
“We were probably 75% capacity of what we would normally see on a weekend,” he shared.
Weiner said he was prepared for the worst though, so any turnout was better than nothing.
But, some are calling the impacts drastic. Culture in the Oregon District said it lost out on thousands of dollars in revenue.
“A lot of people just did not come outside,” general manager Jeremy Pruitt recalled. “We lost a decent amount of revenue that we normally rely upon.”
Pruitt said that money is crucial for a small business, but the City of Dayton has no plans to reimburse those impacted.
The NATO Parliamentary Assembly was an international event hosted in the City of Dayton; however, the planning and coordination were managed externally and not by the City. While the City of Dayton supported the event by providing essential public safety services, no funding has been allocated to the City to offset potential impacts on local businesses. As such, the City is not able to offer reimbursement for any revenue losses related to the NATO Assembly.
So now, businesses are looking to the Miami Valley for help.
“Come out, come check us out,” Pruitt said. “Dayton small businesses are the fabric of what the city is. [There’s} a lot of hard working people in small businesses. That’s just what makes Dayton great.”
As these businesses continue to rebound following what was a slow weekend for many, they encouraged the community to come and explore downtown, saying your support is needed now more than ever.