VERMILION, Ohio — Some small towns across northeast Ohio are seeing a big boost from the Women's NCAA Final Four Tournament and the eclipse. The thousands of visitors who converged on Cleveland for both events boosted the local economy, and not just in Cleveland.
At Susie's Homestyle Cafe in Vermilion, it was busier than a holiday weekend.
"We had started to run out, I ran out of biscuits, I ran out of sausage gravy, I ran out of bacon," explained Susie Borso, owner of Susie's Homestyle Cafe.
Two Iowa Lady Hawkeye fans who traveled more than 700 miles to watch the game drove a little more for breakfast on Friday at the cafe.
Borso said they liked the food so much they returned on Sunday for breakfast before the championship game. "They were just so fun," she said.
But it wasn't just the Final Four that filled the streets of Vermilion. Tourist packed the town to put their eyes to the sky for the eclipse and spend money at restaurants and shops.
Crystal Matthews and Aaron Ale traveled from California to Vermilion to see the eclipse and family. "We definitely did more than sit on the porch and watch the eclipse," said Ale.
"It's adorable. There's not many places like this where you can walk around downtown and meet the locals and everyone's so friendly," said Matthews.
Tuesday afternoon, the town was still bustling with visitors.
"We have heard from many of our small businesses that it was one of the if not their best days of business in five years," said Kate Repola, Executive Director of Main Street Vermilion.
At Tiffany's Flowers and Gifts, it was a good weekend for business.
"A lot of out-of-town visitors, a lot of out-of-state visitors, people from Maryland and Georgia," explained owner Tiffany Sekeres.
She said people were in town from as far away as Alaska and Austria, and tourists were leaving businesses cashing in on the celestial event.
