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Macon seeing major tourism, economic impact from Cherry Blossom Festival

Frankie's Boutique sees about three times the amount of customers during the festival.

MACON, Ga. — The Cherry Blossom Festival is back in full force, and everyone seems to be talking about one thing: how busy it is.

Downtown Macon businesses have noticed that too, and the manager at Frankie's Boutique says Cherry Blossom is essential to keep them running.

Starting work at Frankie's was a new experience for Helen Robinson.

"I have never actually worked in a small business before," Robinson said. "How much love goes into it, I really appreciate that."

She's been there for about a year now, and she loves the place. All her hard work has gotten her a manager's job.

"I started off as a sales associate, and probably just before Christmas kind of hit, when we got another busy season, that's when I stepped in to be the manager," Robinson said.

She worked at Frankie's during Cherry Blossom last year.

"We were packed," she remembered. "I was the busiest I'd ever seen it."

She says the festival is huge for them.

"From a regular week to a Cherry Blossom week, it can be three to four times as much as a regular week," Robinson said.

This year, they've seen even more people.

"We've definitely seen more of a spike, not just in people but in our sales. It's been great, and I can only imagine it's gonna continue to grow through the next week and into the weekend," she said.

Gary Wheat with Visit Macon says he's noticed it, too.

"It's the busiest I've seen. Obviously we have an influx of visitation and I think a lot of that has to do with people who just want to get out, want to see things, and I think this is a chance for them to get back to it," Wheat said.

He says the festival brings over 100,000 people to Macon and fills up 90% of hotel rooms.

"Anytime you're at 90 and above, you're at capacity," Wheat said. "For us it's a $3,000,000 direct spend from our visitors each year and an impact on the economy."

Wheat says that's big for small businesses like Frankie's. Robinson wants to help those businesses prosper even more.

"My biggest thing for this Cherry Blossom is I really want all of the businesses to rally together. So I'm trying hard to promote other places that people can go in downtown," Robinson said.

One business owner said Cherry Blossom is actually bad for her store. She didn't want her name or business on camera, but she said the roadblocks and lack of parking keep her regulars away.

Wheat says Visit Macon will have more information on how many people came out to the festival in the next couple weeks.

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