Being the home of the Hawks is good for Renton businesses

RENTON -- More than 33 thousand fans are expected to attend the Seahawks’ practice sessions over the next two weeks. The city of Renton, and its businesses, are already capitalizing on that.

They might be known as the Seattle Seahawks, but the team actually calls Renton home. Locals are proud of that fact.

“We definitely want to be known as where the Seahawks are from,” says Ian Coyne, a manager at World of Beer. “They spend a good amount of their year here, and we're huge supporters in Renton.”

Training camp is the one time of year fans get to check out the facilities at the VMAC. But since parking there is limited, they have to take shuttles to and from The Landing. That arrangement works out nicely for business owners.

“Training camp is great for us at World of Beer,” says Coyne. “We see the huge crowd. It really boosts our lunch sales.”



“It’s flooded with people, in blue and green,” says Patrice Manwaring, who works at University Bookstore. “It’s great.”

Dylana Brame, a serve at The Rock, agrees. “You see the buses pull up and lots of people load off. It's good. People are in good moods, they're so pumped up for the Seahawks.”

The 12th man can get the latest Hawks gear at the newly opened Pro Shop at The Landing, but that’s not the only place to find a deal. Almost every store and restaurant has special coupons and promotions for camp attendees.

“The special marketing is done through The Landing,” says Manwaring. “They print coupons up and hand them out to the people on the shuttles.”

Camp has just begun, and the crowds have already gotten a little overwhelming at times.

“We’re buckling down,” says Brame. “We’re staffed for it.”

The hope is that Hawks fans will have such a good time during camp that they come back and become regular visitors to Renton.

“We can't wait for the season to start here, because we broadcast all the games,” says Coyne. “We love seeing the Seahawks crowd.”

Seahawks training camp runs through August 12. Tickets for all the practice sessions have already sold out.