Leslie Hitchcock, News Editor 

Businesses on King Street see patronage on a daily basis. Tourists come to shop, see the downtown area and eat at the local restaurants.  

But what seems to attract the most customers is a home football game. How would that change if Appalachian State made a move to a Division I-A football program?

A questioning of several businesses and restaurants on  King Street and the surrounding area revealed a varied opinion.

Executive Vice President of the Boone Area Chamber of Commerce Margaret Johnson said that “a home football game makes a big difference.”

She speculated that most business people in the downtown area of Boone would be in favor of a move to I-A. “The community is very supportive of ASU football.”

“I think people are interested in what the team does...it will be good for the economy,” Johnson said.

However, not all business people agree with Johnson’s opinion.

“Initially, I wonder if it will be a positive in the business sense,” said manager of Footsloggers Mike Boone. 

“I think we’ve seen an increase in home game activity, but that could be because we’re winning. For the first few years of I-A, you’ll be taking it on the chin,” he said.

Footsloggers recently moved to the corner of Howard and Depot streets, Boone said.  “We’ve seen increased activity in traffic and business, but that could be the newness (of the location).”

Having lived in the Boone area for nine years, Jim Brown, manager of Mast General Store, doubts if a move to Division I-A will change any business opportunities.  “I think that for App to go Division I-A, I don’t think it would hurt or help business.”

However, Brown does agree that business has prospered this year because of Appalachian State’s record.

 “It could probably hurt downtown business if App was not fully prepared to go to Division I-A, if we had a losing season,” he said.

Manager of Macados Lydia Wegimont, who recently moved from Blacksburg, Va., home of Virginia Tech, said a move to I-A would spark more business for the area.

“Home football games in Blacksburg are really big sales.  The more interesting a game, the more money you’ll draw,” she said.

Seven-year owner of Caribbean Cafe Stephen Minton disagrees with a jump to I-A from a business perspective. “I think it would be worse off because of the schools they have to play.”

Minton also said that bowl games are not helpful for the town, and an ASU I-A team would lose prosperity from the I-AA November playoffs.
“I see it as a losing situation for the town,” Minton said.

Former Appalachian State quarterback Bake Baker, now manager of the Hampton Inn on Highway 105 Bypass, said that business would increase for the hotel if a move was made to Division I-A. 

“Business would increase with the amount of people we’d be bringing in (to the area).  Whether that’s good or bad for the area, I think it’s what the people want,” Baker said.

The manager of the Quality Inn at the corner of Blowing Rock Road and the Highway 105 Bypass was unavailable for comment.