GREEN BAY, Wis. — Weeks with Packers’ home games drive a little more business to Book Stop, a Green Bay bookstore about a mile-and-half from Lambeau Field.
“We definitely do get extra traffic down here on game day weekends,” said Bethe Lane, one of the store owners. “I get a lot of people from out of town looking for ways to entertain themselves and keep busy while they’re waiting for the game to start or for those people who come into town early. There’s definitely increased foot traffic on game day weekends.”
The NFL announced this week that the 2025 NFL Draft will be held in Green Bay. Lane said it’s likely the three-day event will bring additional customers into the store on Military Avenue.
“We’ll probably order a couple extra Packers books in to be prepared for those people who are looking for those kinds of things,” she said.
The Packers and community partners discussed the draft at a press conference Wednesday morning. While many of the details are still being worked on, the draft is expected to bring about 240,000 people to Green Bay. It’s also expected to carry a statewide economic impact of about $94 million — roughly equivalent to six home games.
That spending goes beyond just lodging and meals.
“Often times people don’t realize the places that people are out actually spending,” said Brad Toll who heads up Discover Green Bay. “You think retail, why would you go to something like this and go shopping and buy retail? But people do.”
He said there’s more to bringing the draft to Green Bay than just dollars and cents.
“The really cool thing about this event is when these guys are drafted into a team, you’re literally seeing their life change in a moment,” Toll said. “It’s really a cool event. The idea we can bring that to our residents and people in Wisconsin to see that happen here, wow. It’s a special day.”
The event will be held at Lambeau Field and the adjacent Titletown District and the Resch Center.
Lane said the draft offers an opportunity for people to experience the NFL’s smallest city.
“I just want people to enjoy the experience of a smaller town because the draft, and football in general, takes place in such large cities,” she said. “When people come here […] even when they’re not Packers fans, they say it’s one of their favorite places to come for football because it’s such a small-town experience.”