HAMILTON, Ohio — While the Bengals are off to L.A, businesses at home are making sure to capitalize on the city’s excitement.
What You Need To Know
- Nearly 20 small businesses in Hamilton are doing something special for the Super Bowl
- From custom cupcakes to doggie cigars and special Bengals candles, there’s a lot to choose from
- The Greater Hamilton Chamber of Commerce said the Super Bowl is a great reason to bring in more business to the area
- Small business owners said the Bengals Super Bowl appearance is bringing in more customers during an otherwise slow time of year
The city of Hamilton is certainly getting in the Bengals spirit. At Petals & Wicks, they even made Bengals candles, but with a secret scent.
It’s been a busy week at Petals & Wicks with the release of the new Bengals candle.
“We’re actually in the process of making more, so they’re setting up,” said Mike Hoskins, co-owner of Petals & Wicks. “We sold, the shelves have been empty. This will be the third batch we’ve made just this week.”
While some are fairly certain one of the scents is orange, or maybe even victory, the employees are keeping the special smell a secret.
“You can smell it and kind of figure it out a little bit,” Hoskins said. “But we’re not saying, we’re letting people guess.”
Petals & Wicks isn’t the only Hamilton business getting in the Bengals spirit. Luke’s Custom Cakes is usually gearing up for a lot of Valentine’s Day orders at the beginning of February, but instead, the business has been completely booked up with custom Bengals cupcakes and cookies.
“Normally, this time of year we’re super, super busy with Valentine’s Day stuff,” said Luke Heizer, owner of Luke’s Custom Cakes. “But obviously, this year it’s all orange, black, and white.”
While the businesses are getting in the spirit, The Greater Hamilton Chamber of Commerce said the extra business during an otherwise slow time is huge for the community.
“When you have something like the Bengals going to the Super Bowl, it kind of takes that away where people are like, well it might be cold out, but I’m still going to go out,” said Dan Bates, president and CEO of the Greater Hamilton Chamber of Commerce. “So it kind of overcomes some of that barrier that more people will easily succumb to.”
Pet Wants, a local pet supply company is also going in on the fun, complete with doggie cigars and Fearless McPherson Cat Kickers.
Owner Rachel Steinman said the excitement of the Super Bowl has certainly helped bring in more business despite the ongoing challenges of the pandemic and weather.
“I think, for small business, we’re certainly wanting to capitalize on all the fun that’s going on,” Steinman said. “I think some of the challenges that we face is getting things in very, very quickly. The snow storm that we just recently had made it difficult.”
But despite those difficulties, this city is making the most of the Bengals heading to the big game and are thankful for a reason to get in on the fun.
Click here for a complete list of Hamilton businesses that are doing something special for the big game.
