Local

NCAA Tournament good for Charlotte business

CHARLOTTE, NC — Crowds have been flooding Uptown all weekend for the first two rounds of the NCAA Basketball Tournament.

Businesses outside the John Belk Freeway are taking advantage of the tournament too. One pub manager said his sales are up ten percent from the same time last year

Justin Walker at the All American Pub said the spike in business has been consistent since Thursday, when the first round started. He said the increase has a lot to do all the extra people in town for the games. The pub is a little farther from Spectrum Arena, but Walker said public transportation made the difference.

"I think a lot of it has to do with the light rail," he said. "People can park miles away from Uptown and ride that in as opposed to fighting traffic Uptown and finding parking spots."