IT'S BEEN A FEW WEEKS SINCE THE CASINO OPENED IN SPRINGFIELD.
IT HAS CERTAINLY GENERATED EXCITEMENT AROUND TOWN.
BUT WHAT DOES IT MEAN FOR BUSINESS OUTSIDE THE CASINO?
CAROLEE MCGRATH VISITED WITH A FEW BUSINESS OWNERS THAT ARE
CASHING IN ON THE MGM'S MOMENTUM, OR SAY MGM HAS BEEN
GOOD FOR THEIR BOTTOM LINE SO FAR.
♪ >> THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE LINE THE
STREETS IN DOWNTOWN SPRINGFIELD TO WITNESS SOMETHING THAT WAS
YEARS IN THE MAKING, THE OPENING OF MGM.
BY ALL ACCOUNTS IT WAS A GRAND OPENING COMPLETE WITH A PARADE,
MARCHING BANDS, ENTERTAINMENT AND THE WORLD'S FAMOUS BUDWEISER
CLYDESDALE HORSES.
IT'S A LONG WAY FROM THE DEVASTATION LEFT BY THE 2011
TORNADO.
AND A NEW DAY FOR BUSINESSES AND RESIDENTS ALIKE SAYS SPRINGFIELD
MAYOR DOMINIQUE SARNO.
>> THIS HAS BEEN A CATALYST AND I'M DEEPLY APPRECIATIVE OF THE
$1 BILLION INVESTMENT WHICH IS ONE-THIRD OF THE ECONOMIC
DEVELOPMENT PROJECTS GOING ON HERE IN THE CITY OF SPRINGFIELD.
>> THE $960 MILLION CASINO IS OPEN 24 HOURS A DAY.
IT INCLUDES RESTAURANTS AND A HOTEL.
THE COMPANY HAS COMMITTED TO HIRING 3,000 PEOPLE AND THAT'S
IN ADDITION TO THE 2,000 CONSTRUCTION JOBS.
>> THIS HAS BEEN A LONG ROAD HE AND WE'RE JUST SUPER EXCITED.
>> CHRIS RUSSELL IS THE IS EXPECTED OF EXECUTIVE DEAD OF T
BID AN ORGANIZATION MADE UP OF PROPERTY OWNERS AND COMMERCIAL
TENANTS WITH A GOAL OF PROMOTING BUSINESS DOWNTOWN.
THE BID WILL BE OPENING A NEW VISITORS CENTER RIGHT ON MAIN
STREET WITH A VIEW OF MGM TO HELP VISITORS AROUND TOWN.
>> 3 YEARS AGO WE STARTED SEEING A BIG UPTICK IN INTEREST FROM
NOT JUST INVESTORS THAT HAVE BEEN INVESTED IN DOWNTOWN
SPRINGFIELD FOR MANY YEARS AND MANY GENERATIONS.
WE'RE SEEING INVESTORS FROM OUTSIDE OF THE REGION BUT
OUTSIDE OF THE STATE LOOKING AT SPRINGFIELD AGAIN AND JUST THE
FOOT TRAFFIC IN DOWNTOWN THE PAST FEW MONTHS WE'VE SEEN A
DRAMATIC UPTICK IN THE FOOT TRAFFIC AND THE BUSINESSES DOING
VERY, VERY WELL IN THE DOWNTOWNS.
>> RUSSELL ALSO SAYS MORE PEOPLE ARE LIVING DOWNTOWN AND MORE
APARTMENTS ARE HARD TO COME BY.
>> I WOULD LOVE TO SEE MORE INVENTORY AVAILABLE BECAUSE ALL
OF THE MARKET RATE HOSPITAL OPPORTUNITIES WE'VE SEEN A TON
OF ACTIVITY ON THE TOMB STREET AREA AND ELLIOTT STREET.
THE MARKET RATE UNITS THAT WE HAVE TODAY, AND WE HAVE
INCREASED THAT NUMBER OVER THE PAST COUPLE OF YEARS THEY'RE ALL
EFFECTIVELY PRIMARILY FULL.
SILVER BROOK PURCHASED MORGAN SQUARE APPROXIMATELY 3 YEARS
AGO.
THEY RENOVATED THAT ENTIRE PROJECT, AND THEY'VE DONE SO
WELL THEY INVESTED AGAIN ON CHESTNUT STREET ANOTHER 100-UNIT
APARTMENT COMPLEX THAT THEY'RE IN THE PROCESS OF RENOVATING
RIGHT NOW AND SEEING A GREAT DEAL OF INTEREST, SO THAT'S
REALLY THE PROOF WHEN YOU HAVE AN OUTSIDE INVESTOR.
THEY CAME FROM BOSTON AND NEW YORK.
THEY INVESTED IN MORGAN SQUARE WHICH IS OVER 300 APARTMENTS.
THEY RENOVATED THEM.
WERE WILDLY SUCCESSFUL, SEE A GREAT DEAL OF DEMAND SO NOW
THEY'VE INVESTED IN A SECOND PROPERTY.
I THINK THAT'S THE BIGGEST INDICATOR THAT THERE IS INTEREST
IN DOWNTOWN SPRINGFIELD.
>> MICKEY LASSARD OWNS SIMPLY SERENDIPITY A WOMEN'S BOUTIQUE
LOCATED ON THE MARKET STREET WALKWAY BEHIND WHERE JOHNSON'S
BOOKSTORE WAS LISTED BEHIND.
>> THIS WAS A WONDERFUL OPPORTUNITY TO BE A POP-UP SHOP
ALMOST 4 YEARS THIS HOLIDAY SEASON AND WE ACCIDENT OCCURRED
MGM WAS COMING AND WE JUST SAID YES, WE'RE GOING TO STAY A
LITTLE BIT LONGER AND IT KEPT ORGANICALLY GROWING.
>> LASSARD HAS A NAIL BAR AND A YOGA STUDIO AND SHE'S HOLDING
YOGA CLASSES ON THE MGM PLAZA.
>> I'M HOPEFULLY POSITIVE AND ALL THE THINGS THAT'S HAPPENING
IN THE CITY FROM THE SPRINGFIELD CITY ITSELF, FROM THE MAYOR ON
DOWN.
THE SPRINGFIELD BID HAS DONE INCREDIBLE WORK AND THEN MGM
ITSELF HAS JUST DONE AN INCREDIBLE AMOUNT OF THE WORKS,
YOU KNOW, BRINGING THEIR HEART TO THE TABLE DELIVERING BEST IN
CLASS OPPORTUNITIES FOR ALL OF US AND ESPECIALLY FOCUSING ON
SMALL BUSINESSES THAT ARE IN THE FOOTPRINT OF DOWNTOWN AND THEN
BEYOND IN THE VALLEY.
>> RIGHT NEXT DOOR TO SIMPLY SIMPLE DIPITY IS NOSH CAFE WHERE
YOU CAN BUY SOUPS, BREADS AND MUFFINS.
NOSH STARTED AS A POP-UP A FEW YEARS BACK AND RECENTLY EXPANDED
IN THIS NEW SPACE.
>> YOU CAN'T EVEN WIPE THE SMILE OFF MY FACE.
[LAUGH] >> IT'S BEEN SO AWESOME.
LIKE LAST WEEK WHEN WE OPENED UP THIS SPACE, OUR SALES DOUBLED IN
ONE WEEK.
IT WAS JUST NUTS, AND A GOOD PORTION OF OUR CUSTOMERS NOW ARE
COMING FROM MGM, SO THAT'S COOL.
>> TO ENCOURAGE VISITORS OF THE CASINO TO EXPLORE THE REST OF
DOWNTOWN, THERE'S A NEW FREE BUS SERVICE CALLED THE LOOP RUNNING
FROM WEDNESDAY TO SUNDAY TAKING PEOPLE TO DIFFERENT ATTRACTIONS
IN THE CITY SUCH AS THE BASKETBALL HALL OF FAME AND THE
MUSEUMS.
ACCORDING TO MGM THERE WAS 150,000 VISITORS IN THE FIRST
FEW DAYS OF OPENING BUT SOME ARE CONCERNED OF MAINTAINING
INTEREST ESPECIALLY WITH THE PROPOSAL TO BUILD A CASINO IN
EAST WINDSOR, CONNECTICUT.
ARE YOU CONCERNED AT ALL THAT UNITED STATES WITH THE
EXCITEMENT OF THE OPENING WEARS OFF THAT SOME OF THIS TRAFFIC
WILL DECREASE?
>> NO.
I STILL -- I STILL SEE -- AS A MATTER OF FACT, I DON'T THINK
WE -- I THINK WE'RE GOING TO START TO SEE IN THE COMING
WEEKS, THERE'LL BE THAT INITIAL RUSH OF THE EXCITEMENT, BUT I
WAS IN THAT DEVELOPMENT A COUPLE OF WEEKS AGO AND PEOPLE ARE
GOING TO BE BLOWN AWAY.
IT FEELS LIKE A RESORT.
>> MICKEY LASSARD SAYS MOMENTUM IS BUILDING IN THE CITY SHE GREW
UP IN.
>> I WOULD SAY THAT THIS IS AN AMAZING RENAISSANCE THAT'S
HAPPENING IN OUR CITY. ♪