St George’s will be open for business this Cup Match, with stores expressing hope that the sporting event will bring the town extra shoppers.

While a handful of stores will be closing their doors for the holiday, many others are set to open their doors on both Thursday and Friday.

Kelly Diel, of Seaglass Art, said there was a misconception that the town’s stores shut down over the holiday, but that was far from the case.

“What the public doesn’t know is that a lot of stores in St George’s stay open during the holidays, and not just Cup Match,” she said. “I’ve been told that someone on the cruise ships have been telling passengers that nothing is open in St George’s, but that’s just not true.

“I think Thursday is going to be busy because of the cruise ship, and I think there’s a real possibility that locals might come by on Friday as they are already in the east for the game. Restaurants will be open. People can come by, get a bite to eat, have a drink and visit the shops.

“It’s important that people know St George’s is open for business, even on the holidays. Some people only make it down here once a year, so they need to know we’re open and waiting for them.”

Christine Harrell, of the neighbouring store Whistlin’ Frog, said she intended to open on both Thursday and Friday to serve visitors travelling to the east for the holiday.

“Obviously it’s our hope that we get those visitors and locals coming up to St George’s for the event and visiting the town while they’re here,” she said.

Cathy Roberts, of Bermuda Linen and Gifts, said she also planned to stay open over the holiday, but was not sure if the nearby event would bring a boost in sales.

“Whether it will be busy or not, I have no idea,” she said. “People will be coming by for Cup Match, but I’m not sure if they will come past that to the town for shopping I don’t know, but we will be alive and kicking down here.”

Kelly Thompson, of Saltwater Jewellery Store, echoed her comments, but said she too would be opening on both Thursday and Friday.

“We’re going to be open,” she said. “Whether it’s going to be busy, I don’t know. Things do tend to get slow once the cruise ships go.”

Last Night Boutique is also set to open its doors on both days of the holiday, although only between 10am and 2pm. Keita Simmons said the store benefited from a little boost two years ago, the last time St George’s hosted Cup Match, and she was hopeful of another boost in sales this year.

“Sometimes people come down this far, sometimes they don’t,” she said. “We did see some people down here last time St George’s hosted Cup Match, but we were still a new store so I think that might have been a part of it. We had a few visitors come by, and a few locals as well, looking for something last minute or to buy something new because they spilled something.”

Other businesses that have announced plans to remain open on both days of the holiday include Frangipani, Just Add Water, Churchills, the White Horse Tavern and the Paradise Gift Shop.

Several other businesses were yesterday scheduled to open for some of the holiday. Temptations Cafe, along with the St George’s branches of Davison’s Gifts and the English Sports Shop are scheduled to open on Thursday, while Wahoos is scheduled to open on Friday.