Kitchen workers and servers at Ferg\u2019s Sports Bar had their hands full this week.<\/p>\n
Over three World Series games at Tropicana Field, the landmark sports bar went through 42,000 chicken wings and 3,500 cases of beer and seltzer, owner Mark Ferguson told the Catalyst.<\/p>\n
Across the street from the stadium, Ferg\u2019s was among the businesses welcoming thousands of baseball fans to St. Petersburg. Milwaukee Brewers supporters filled bars and restaurants, many arriving hours before the first pitch and staying long enough to make an afternoon of it.<\/p>\n
For establishments around the Trop, the crowds brought an unusual payday.<\/p>\n
At Grand Central Brewhouse, sales climbed 30% compared to the previous Monday through Wednesday and 85% over the same three-day period last year, founder and CEO Kevin Milkey wrote in an email.<\/p>\n
The brewery, a short walk from the stadium, began filling up around lunchtime.<\/p>\n
\u201cMonday and Tuesday we saw a lot of foot traffic early, starting at 12:30 p.m.,\u201d general manager Matt O\u2019Connell wrote in a separate email.<\/p>\n
By his estimate, roughly 80% of the baseball fans were rooting for Milwaukee. Many stayed for several rounds of drinks before heading to the stadium, leaving the brewery considerably quieter once the games began.<\/p>\n
Televisions inside and in the beer garden carried the action for those who stayed behind.<\/p>\n
The Brewers defeated the Rays 4-1 Wednesday night, winning the World Series in five games and claiming the franchise\u2019s first championship.<\/p>\n
The three games at Tropicana Field drew a combined 121,391 spectators, averaging 40,464 per game. That was more than twice the Rays\u2019 regular-season average of 17,469, which ranked 14th among the American League\u2019s 15 teams.<\/p>\n
The crowds kept businesses busy throughout the EDGE District, according to Nicole Waters, the district\u2019s executive director.<\/p>\n
In an email, Waters said she had heard reports of exceptional business at Ferg\u2019s, Hawkers, Green Bench Brewing and the Moxy hotel. She also pointed to Matter of Fact, an independent retailer that reported stronger-than-usual business during the games.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Rays bring people to our doorstep, but our unique restaurants, independent retailers, entertainment, and neighborhood character give them reasons to explore and return,\u201d Waters wrote.<\/p>\n
The rush wasn\u2019t limited to establishments serving beer.<\/p>\n
At Pure Green Juice Bar, Russell Browning Jr. found himself serving a different mix of customers as the championship series unfolded.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe saw a huge boost,\u201d Browning said in a phone interview.<\/p>\n
Business picked up between 5 and 7 p.m., but the following mornings brought their own activity. Browning described seeing \u201cfoggy eyed Brewers fans\u201d arriving after a night of celebrating.<\/p>\n
The three games brought welcome business to a neighborhood that has spent nearly three decades alongside Major League Baseball. They also came at a time when that relationship appears to be nearing its end.<\/p>\n
The Rays\u2019 future in St. Petersburg has been unsettled for years.<\/p>\n
In 2024, city and county officials approved plans for a $1.3 billion ballpark and a sweeping redevelopment of the Historic Gas Plant District surrounding Tropicana Field.<\/p>\n
The agreement unraveled the following year amid disputes over costs and delays. Hurricane Milton had also damaged the Trop, forcing the Rays to play the 2025 season at Tampa\u2019s Steinbrenner Field while repairs were completed.<\/p>\n
Under new ownership, the franchise turned its attention across Tampa Bay.<\/p>\n
In August, Tampa and Hillsborough County officials approved agreements for a roughly $2.3 billion stadium and surrounding development at Hillsborough College\u2019s Dale Mabry campus. The team hopes to open the ballpark in 2029, after its current agreement at Tropicana Field expires following the 2028 season.<\/p>\n
The Tampa project still faces financing and construction hurdles. But for businesses that have spent years serving baseball fans, the prospect of losing the Rays is becoming harder to ignore.<\/p>\n
Browning offered a partly joking assessment of his own business\u2019s future.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m trying to sell it before they tear that stadium down,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
At Grand Central, O\u2019Connell was more serious about what losing baseball could mean.<\/p>\n
\u201cLosing the Rays will be devastating, not just from a business perspective, but from a community perspective,\u201d he wrote.<\/p>\n
For him, there\u2019s more at stake than the sales generated by 81 regular-season home games. There\u2019s also the routine of fans meeting for drinks, running into familiar faces and making the short walk to the ballpark together.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe true fans of Saint Pete love going and grabbing a pint at GCB, Ferg\u2019s and Green Bench and being able to just walk across the street and see their team,\u201d O\u2019Connell wrote. \u201cI think some businesses are kidding themselves when they say \u2018Let them go.’\u201d<\/p>\n
Waters shared those concerns, but said the district is also looking toward what might eventually replace the stadium and its surrounding parking lots.<\/p>\n
\u201cTheir departure will leave a significant void in the activity that supports our local businesses,\u201d she wrote.<\/p>\n
Waters called for progress on redevelopment of the Historic Gas Plant District, saying new destinations and stronger connections to surrounding neighborhoods would be important to the area\u2019s future.<\/p>\n
Ferguson, whose bar has been part of the baseball routine for decades, isn\u2019t ready to write off Tropicana Field.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re waiting to see what happens,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
He noted that the Rays\u2019 move still has obstacles to clear and suggested the city could find other uses for the stadium if the team leaves. Concerts, basketball tournaments and volleyball tournaments could keep bringing people into the neighborhood, he said.<\/p>\n
Those possibilities remain speculative. No comparable schedule of replacement events has been established.<\/p>\n
For now, Ferguson is coming off three days that kept his kitchens and bartenders busy. Whatever happens to the stadium, he believes the World Series gave St. Petersburg valuable national exposure.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was tremendous,\u201d he said. \u201cTremendous for all of downtown. It shows a spotlight of St. Pete.\u201d<\/p>\n
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