Eclipse brings satisfying traffic levels for Falls business owners

People were lined up to the door and the chairs at the tables inside Power City Eatery were filled all day.

Joe Hotchkiss, the owner of the coffee shop on Third Street in Niagara Falls, described his Eclipse Monday inside his business as a busy summer day, “times two.”

“We had people out the door from 8 a.m. until we closed at 2 p.m.,” he said. “We were kind of unsure what to expect. We heard all the talk but Friday and Saturday were slow. Sunday was busy. I was thinking we would have another Sunday, but today was just on another level.”

When asked if he’d like to see more of a constant flow of customers more frequently, he said: “Everyday. We could adjust. We’re very pleased.”

While the total solar eclipse did not result in a crush of pedestrians and car traffic, small business owners and vendors reported steady to brisk sales, especially on Sunday and early Monday through the point of totality at around 3:20 p.m. Monday.

“Business has been great,” said Gaelen Baillie, owner of Sight See Rentals, a vendor that rents bikes, scooters and wheelchairs out of a kiosk located on Old Falls Street, across from the entrance to Niagara Falls State Park. “It’s been a great weekend. Saturday was a little bit slower. Sunday was fantastic.”

Baillie described Sunday’s traffic as what his business normally sees on a busy Sunday in July.

“I’ll take it in early April,” he said. “I can’t complain in early April. The numbers were fantastic.”

While local and state officials expressed concern about the potential for a crush of traffic to cause backups on main entranceways into the city, the Robert Moses Parkway, Buffalo Avenue and most of the streets downtown were clear throughout the day on Monday.

By mid-afternoon, traffic picked up, especially on downtown streets and in the area near Niagara Falls State Park. Parking lots across downtown also filled up.

Rebecca Reisch, owner of The Drunkin Candle Shop, a vendor that set up a tent to sell candles and other products on Old Falls Street for eclipse weekend, described the traffic on Sunday and Monday as pleasantly steady.

The Niagara Falls resident had never done an event downtown before and said she and her sister, Gretchen, who was helping her for the day, have been impressed by the wide range of visitors they’ve interacted with from across the United States and around the world.

“I absolutely loved being down here,” she said. “I want to vend down here in the summer.

We have just really been enjoying getting people from Georgia, Philadelphia, Maryland. So it’s kind of opened my eyes. Being here this weekend has been great. It’s been a really nice experience,” she added.

Local hotels were booked for weeks in the run-up to today’s eclipse.

On Monday, Seneca Niagara Resort & Casino, one of the largest attractions in the city, offered a family-friendly eclipse-viewing event featuring food trucks, games and live entertainment.

Melissa Free, chief marketing officer, Seneca Gaming Corp., said, in general, the celestial event lived up to expectations business-wise.

“Our hotel was at full capacity all weekend with some guests coming to Seneca Niagara from as far away as Japan and England,” she said. “We also saw a lot of energy and excitement around downtown Niagara Falls.”