REDMOND, OR -- When the Deschutes County Fair opens Wednesday morning, only a handful of Redmond businesses are likely to benefit from the increase in traffic. Straw Hat Pizza, located just off Highway 97 on the way to the fairgrounds, expects it'll be the busiest week of the year.
However, those in the downtown core tell a different story. Nick Dacus, owner of Soup 2 Nuts, tells KBND he was surprised last year’s sales were so low. "It was just dead, I mean, at least half as much if not worse than what we normally do. And we do everything from scratch where we’re at, so it really affects us because we end up throwing away a lot of food. We’re thinking, if it’s slow again this year, we’re just going to take a vacation next year!"
Mona Sorensen, owner of Green Plow Coffee Roasters, is trying to come up with ways to keep her regulars coming in this week. "There was just a slight decrease in sales [last year]; more so because everyone’s going out to the fair, which is exciting, and we push that. It’s normally our regulars that conduct business at Green Plow, so right now outside we have buy one get one half off on drinks. I just want to keep it steady for our staff."
The Deschutes County Fair is open Wednesday and Thursday, from 10 a.m. until 10 p.m., Friday and Saturday, 10 a.m. until 11 p.m.; and 10 a.m. through 5 p.m., Sunday.
