Ralliers create big business for some downtown vendors

RICHMOND, Va. (WWBT) - The huge influx of visitors no doubt brought in a boost in foot traffic and profits. The activity at the Capitol didn’t just stay at the Capitol as ralliers could be seen all over the general area.

Like many downtown areas, Richmond is a hub for restaurants and other businesses, which were fairly new to those who were coming to the River City for the first time.

“It’s a Monday, we were excited to serve people tacos,” Soul Taco Co-Founder Nar Hovnanian said. “We realized we were going to have a brand new market in front of us, so we decided to let the people taste the food.”

Soul Taco on East Main was serving up their signature dishes to those who wanted to take a break from the picket lines.

For the co-founders, they say they were ready for anything but for the most part, it was business as usual.

“We put together an emergency plan, we spoke to all of our management to make sure everyone knows what’s going on, and what to be prepared for, what the emergency plan is – if anything were to happen," Co-Founder Ari Augenbaum said.

He adds that the day had been peaceful, hopeful that it would remain that way.

Sefton Coffee Company said that business was booming during the rally - so much so that workers had barely had a chance to slow down.

One worker says that it might have been one of the busiest days they’ve ever had and that there was a chance they might have had to close early due to using much much of the day’s supplies for the influx of customers.

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