Helena businesses preparing for Legislature business boost

HELENA — The state legislature’s next session, which occurs once every two years and typically lasts around four months, starts Monday and can mean big bucks for Helena businesses.

MTN News spoke with the Helena Area Chamber of Commerce businesses to learn more about the economic impact of having the 69^th Montana Legislature in town. Callie Aschim, the president and CEO of the Helena Area Chamber of Commerce, broke down the economic impact of having the legislature in town by the numbers.

“Year over year, we typically see about a 20% increase in visitation and overnight stays and about a 15% increase in visitor spending. Typically, when people are here during the legislative session, we see about an additional $200 per person per day in spending,” said Aschim.

Aschim adds that the legislature’s economic impact on Helena’s businesses extends beyond its roughly four-month session. “We really do see the impact of the session coming into the session. Those occupancy numbers, particularly at our hotels, are higher than usual in an off-pre-legislative year. So, if you’re looking, you know, those even years, typically, that last quarter, we see quite an uptick in our hotel occupancy as we prepare for the session”.

Local businesses also say they get busier and see increased sales during the legislative session.

Eric Bone is the owner and founder of Bone’s Barbershop in Helena; his business sees an influx of business during the session. “We experience a bump of about 15 percent to 20 percent in customers coming into the shop.”

Though his shop, located at the intersection of Cruse Ave and Last Chance Gulch, is situated closer to downtown than the statehouse, Bone adds that the legislative session still brings new business patterns.

“There are a lot of people that come to town that support the legislature and are interested in the legislature, and there are only so many people in town cutting hair, so you get quite a boom in the business for several months,” noted Bone

According to Haley McKnight, the store manager of Sage & Oats Trading Post, downtown businesses also experience increased business during legislative years.

Michael Wolff, MTN News

“We usually see a jump in our January numbers when the session is in town,” said McKnight.