GREENSBORO, N.C. — Celebrations have been in full swing all week at NC A&T, and they show no signs of stopping anytime soon. FanFest kicked off just minutes ago, with a row of food trucks, vendors, and a sea of blue and yellow filling the scene.
While Homecoming Week is a major celebration for students and alumni, it’s also a significant boost for local businesses. Several vendors told me they stock up ahead of the event, known as the Greatest Homecoming on Earth (GHOE).
Many are local, but some travel to GHOE from as far as Maryland. Several said GHOE has helped them establish a strong customer base and provided their businesses with significant exposure and led to a huge boost in their bottom line.
Jerald Blank has been a vendor at GHOE for the past decade. He said that without the A&T community, his business wouldn’t be where it is today.
“I think if I if I didn’t have GHOE, I wouldn’t have got my name out," said Gerald Byers, owner of Jiraldco Body Oils. "I’m getting a lot of new faces and that’s awesome. I started with just a dozen fragrances and now I have access to 1,300 fragrances.”
Several other businesses credit GHOE for helping them attract new customers. Mandie Dunn, a local artist and A&T alumna, said she’s seen the homecoming celebrations grow over the past few years. This marks her second year as a vendor, and she’s hopeful it will be even more successful than last year.
“It has tripled what I do in one year in three days," Dunn said. "Especially Saturday when everyone is here."
Everything is leading up to the big kickoff Saturday at 1 p.m. between the Aggies and the Hampton Pirates.
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