‘Super exciting and great for business’: Blue Jays playoff run brings local business boost
Local businesses across the Greater Victoria Region have seen a boost in business as fans look for items and places to watch the Toronto Blue Jays battle the Los Angeles Dodgers for the 2025 World Series title.
Blue Jays memorabilia has been flying off the shelves at Kirby’s Source For Sports as new and longtime fans hunt for the winning item to wear while watching the game.
“[Saturday] morning we had a big rush right when we opened the door,” Mark Walton, store co-owner, said.
“Lots of people calling in, trying to find sizes and get that last piece before watching the game.”
Walton says the store is down to just one small table of Jays gear with just a few t-shirts, hats and water bottles left.
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He added while the World Series run has been great for business, it has been hard to keep items on the shelf as the Jays head into Game 7.
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“We’ve seen [items] come in and then leave in the same day,” Walton said.
The business boost isn’t just just hitting sports stores, but the restaurant industry as well.
The Bard & Banker’s general manager says its been a busy pub with people looking for a seat to watch the games, with some nights hitting full capacity.
General Manager Connor Macneil says this is a welcome change as historically this time of year slows down at the pub.
“October is definitely the downturn for us. Christmas parties start mid November, so to fill that gap with a lot of Canadian sports passion is really fun,” Macneil said.
He expects to see a full and lively house Saturday night with Game 7 playing on every TV and fans making lots of noise.
“Just the overall vibe from everyone is cool,” Macneil added.
This excitement for the game has the Victoria HarbourCats eager for the next baseball season to start.
Managing partner Jim Swanson says this series has boosted the sport across Canada.
“For me the most fun has been how this has encapsulated people with baseball, it’s just taken over,” Swanson said.
“I don’t think I’ve ever seen, outside of maybe Olympic hockey, I don’t think I’ve ever seen our area that engaged in one sporting team or event going on.”
He hopes the newfound appreciation will bring new fans to Royal Athletic Park next season, as well as a new generation of players.
Walton says that has happened in previous years when the Blue Jays played well.
“Back in 2015 when José Bautista hit that nice home run and really brought us together and we liked to watch that happen. We saw a big uptick of kids just get into the sport and I think we will see another little swing of kids just wanting to be a part of it,” Walton said.
He says customers have already started asking for information on baseball gear ahead of the spring season.
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