Blue Jays’ elimination affects Belleville businesses

Blue Jays merchandise at the Ultimate Fan in the Quinte Mall was flying off the shelves through the team’s playoff run. Photo by Sean McIntosh

By Sean McIntosh

BELLEVILLE – Businesses in Belleville are feeling the effects after the Toronto Blue Jays’ season ended.

The Jays were eliminated from the playoffs after falling to the Kansas City Royals in the American League Championship Series on Friday.

Andrew Carter, the owner of Belleville sports bar the Coach’s Moustache on Bell Boulevard, says the bar was packed with Jays fans throughout the playoff run.

“The atmosphere in here was crazy loud with all the TVs and sound. A home run or a big play and the crowd would just go wild,” Carter said.

“The impact of not having a Game 7 on a Saturday night is pretty huge, obviously,” he added,

The Jays going to the World Series could have been great for business, he added – “not just us, but the whole community.”

Other businesses have seen an impact as well. One is the seasonal sports memorabilia store Ultimate Fan in the Quinte Mall.

“People are, of course, disappointed that it ended up the way it did,” store owner Steve White said. His customers “are a little on the depressed side and they’re a little mopey,” he said.

But because of the Jays’ great season, merchandise was selling far better than in previous years, White added. Some is still selling now, even after the team’s elimination, he said.

Another result of the Jays’ success was that sales of merchandise from other sports were down, White said.

“Everybody was just Jays crazy. But the impact of that is the hockey and football sales are slower, because nobody’s thinking about hockey or football.”