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Beyoncénomics: Why some NYC and NJ businesses might see pre-show spikes
By
Verónica Del Valle
Published Jul 28, 2023
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By
Verónica Del Valle
Published Jul 28, 2023
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It’s the summer of the mega tour.
There's Taylor Swift's record-breaking "Eras Tour." There's Blackpink, who'll end a 10-month world tour with four U.S. shows next month.
And right now, there's Beyoncé, whose 56-date "Renaissance Tour" extravaganza lands at New Jersey's MetLife Stadium this weekend. Tens of thousands of fans will flow to the Meadowlands to watch Beyoncé rise on the stage, dressed in chrome and silver.
But before that wave crests, another wave will wash through the region. Yelp trends analyst Tara Lewis calls it the “Beyoncé Bump.”
"We know that Beyoncé is a force to be reckoned with," Lewis said. "But it's really incredible to see the impact that her tour is currently making on local economies."
Yelp analyzed search traffic data in cities where the tour has stopped so far. They found that shortly before the performances, the weekly average of searches for nail salon technicians went up by almost 200% compared to last year. Arts and crafts searches for people looking to glam up their outfits increased by 75%.
For the makers of certain specialty items, that bump is even bigger. Over the last few months, 24-year-old Brooklyn resident Shailee Stevens has become a major purveyor of that famous disco cowboy hat Beyoncé used in her tour announcement.
"I do these in my apartment,” Stevens said. “It's not like I have a factory or anything."
She says she's spent hundreds of hours gluing tiny disco tiles onto felt hats to accommodate demand, and even raised her prices in order to slow down the flow of requests via her Etsy site.
"I actually just did a little total for this interview, and I've shipped 605 hats since February," Stevens said.
That’s about three hats a day, every day, for six months straight. All that work has paid off, to the tune of about $80,000 in gross revenue, she said.
But not every fan is pulling out their wallet.
Ahead of the big weekend, Marjory Taylor of Brooklyn is keeping her credit card far away. She paid more than $800 for two nosebleed tickets to the Sunday show, and says she's stimulated the economy enough.
"After spending $800, I was like, I'm not even buying a new lipstick for this,” Taylor said, laughing. “I'm like, whatever I have, Beyoncé. I'm shopping my closet."
Tagged
new york city
Music
Verónica Del Valle
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