BALTIMORE — This is the fourth year in a row Baltimore has hosted the CIAA Tournament.
Along with the fun of the games and the celebrations happening around the city, it's also a great opportunity for Baltimore and its businesses to celebrate some additional money.
This year, the tournament will run from February 26 to March 6. Nearly a two-week window for visitors to spend their time and money.
"All the conventions are good. This is probably the best convention because it's here for a week. Not many conventions are here that long," said Terry Coffman, owner of Supano's on Water St.
When the tournament came to Baltimore in 2021, COVID made it hard for local businesses to take advantage.
Each year, Coffman says he's seen the tournament bring in more business.
"This year's already better. We're already getting banquets on the very first day... I think it's a bright light on Baltimore," said Coffman.
Tameeka Randle owns Next Phaze Cafe on E. Lexington St. She says Monday's crowd was busier than normal.
"We had the opportunity to feed Bowie's basketball teams, the women's and men's, and their marching band had the whole place packed. We also had some students here from Johnson C. Smith just in the neighborhood, and [they] came by," said Randle.
Baltimore City leaders say last year's tournament generated $29.6 million, which supported more than 1,500 part-time and full-time jobs and generated $2.5 million in state and local taxes.
They say they expect the tournament to grow each year.
Judith and Robert Epps are Virginia natives visiting the tournament for their 42nd year. They like the tournament in Baltimore.
"We told people at home about Baltimore because people were a little skeptical about Baltimore and we told them it wasn't as bad as you might seem to me. It's nice," said Robert Epps.
So far, their dollar hasn't stretched much locally because they want more options downtown.
"We love shopping, so we look for shopping areas. We looked yesterday to try to find some stores but we were told they didn't have any open. They used to have a few but they're closed now. So hopefully in the future, they'll bring some more sports stores," said Epps.
They say they'll continue to look for local businesses to support.
