Business & Tech

Getting Business from the U.S. Open a Tough Nut to Crack for Some

This is the third U.S. Open at Merion Golf Club that the Head Nut has lived through.

By Sam Strike

The USGA has said that merchandise sales from the 2013 U.S. Open at Merion Golf Club “far exceeded” its expectations, but what about local businesses? How did the famous golf tournament treat them?

For one Ardmore business, the reality did not live up to the hype.

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Lee Molineax, owner of the Head Nut on Haverford Avenue, said he did about 70 percent of his usual business during the week that the U.S. Open was in town. The problem, he said, was the nearby road closure.

While his block of Haverford Avenue was open, no one was really taking it since it closed up at Ardmore Avenue. Originally, the roads signs were actually incorrect and indicated that their block was closed, said manager Shiela Gray. Gray added that that problem was fixed after police were notified of the error.

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But for Gray, her disappointment came from the fact that she said the media hyped what the Open would mean for local businesses.

“The seven-day event will potentially bring with it an estimated $125 million in business to the area, according to Brandywine Conference and Visitors Bureau Executive Director Tore Fiore,”reported the Delco Times before the event.

Fiore told the newspaper, “The economic impact will be anywhere from $100 million to $125 million.”

“In addition to the expected influx of patrons at area restaurants and bars, Fiore said that a lot of other industries will benefit…” it continued.

While the Gypsy Saloon in Conshohocken made headlines by hosting Open winner Justin Rose after his victory, the Head Nut, which sells nuts and other treats, may not have been the type of business that spectators were looking for.

“It’s a shame they didn’t come to us and ask us to do a stand,” Gray said of the USGA.

This is the third U.S. Open at Merion Golf Club that Molineax’s business has lived through. Yes, Molineax said that right after the Open he posted negative signs about it outside of his business, but has since taken them down.

It’s not that he doesn’t like golf, he told Patch. In fact, as a child he got his start in business by selling golf balls he fished out of Cobb’s Creek, caddying and opening a lemonade stand by the 9th hole of Cobb’s Creek Golf Club.


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