Players, coaches and families from across the country packed Little Rock hotels and restaurants this weekend helping the local economy during the recession for the Real Deal Tournament.
This is the Shuttenberg's first trip to Arkansas. "We did a lot of travelling and the people are very friendly, and we enjoyed it a lot," says Maria Shuttenberg.
The New York couple is here watching their grandson play for the New York Gauchos, but the players don't get to explore much of the city. "The hotel rooms and the gyms, that's all they see," says Ray Shuttenberg.
Ray and Maria do have time to check Little Rock out though, and spend money. They're impressed with what the River Market has to offer, and many of the businesses there say sales have definitely picked up since the tournament came to town.
"It's been so busy, we've run out of a lot of food for today because we can't go get more food from our distributor, so it's hitting us hard, but it's good for business though," says Ben Bradley with the Flying Burrito.
Bradley says he noticed more families coming in for lunch this weekend, giving his business a much needed boost. "It has been hurting really badly. Our busy season came later this year. The slower season was a lot slower, and now that it is the busy season, it's still cut down a little bit," he adds.
So, the Real Deal helps, and compared to New York, the cost of food, hotel rooms and gas during the Shuttenberg's road trip is cheap. "We went to the Carolinas, Tennessee, everything generally was the same price," says Ray.
With their grandson's loss Sunday afternoon, the Shuttenbergs hit the road again, this time for Branson, but did they manage to pick up anything to remember the Natural State by? "We're beyond souvenirs. Our kids would just thrown them away. When we're gone, they're gone," says Ray.
Bradley says his restaurant saw a 15-percent increase in sales this weekend.
