On Tuesday, I co-hosted ‘One Bills Live’ with Steve Tasker, and because the Buffalo Bills’ new studio in the field house is still under construction, we filmed the live show at the Bills Store on Abbott Road.
I’ve been to the Bills Store in July before, and every instance was the exact same — maybe a dad and son standing outside to take a picture in front of the (now old) stadium, maybe 3-4 people inside the store (if that) perusing Bills gear of many sorts.
This July experience inside the Bills Store
was different. Significantly different.
Because of construction occurring in the original Bills Store parking lot, there’s signage pointing cars further down Abbott Road closer to Big Tree Road to what is a much larger lot. That lot was packed.
As I found one of the last spots to park my car, I figured there must be a player autograph event — or something related — happening inside the store beyond our front-corner setup for One Bills Live.
Wrong.
There was simply a steady stream of fans going in and out of the store on this random Tuesday. The store wasn’t at capacity like it is on game days. But close.
I commented to Steve about the clear increase from normalcy in foot traffic, and he nodded, mentioning that ever since the ribbon cutting ceremony in late June, what I was experiencing that day had been the new norm.
Throughout the show, during commercial breaks, Steve was approached by families of all sizes, signed autographs, took pictures etc.
But the flow of people never subsided.
And it dawned on me.
This was a microcosm of what Abbott Road — and the surrounding area — in Orchard Park can eventually become, a beacon of football fandom in one of the best sports cities in the United States… even when games aren’t being played and it’s very much the offseason.
Large construction fences still encircle the family of bison across the street from the Bills Store, which of course houses the new Highmark Stadium, and once those fences are taken down, I imagine even more fans will stop to take in the new Family Circle with the metallic bison statues front and center.
Ironically, a day after my illuminating experience, a report surfaced about the Bills exploring development options around the old Highmark Stadium. The key takeaway from that report centered around the powers that be within the Bills organization “coming around to the idea of putting something more significant” over top of the razed stadium, which could include the “possibility of mixed-use development.”
Now, in the aftermath of that report, a faction of people are justifiably advocating for the old Highmark Stadium to transform into additional parking. I get that.
But that afternoon inside the Bills Store I got a tiny taste of what the Bills could offer fans — and tourists — year-round, and fairly soon, the team will have plenty of room to continue to build to draw people to Orchard Park. I’m absolutely in favor of that.
And, heck, I can’t say I have an exact retail plan mapped in my head. But whether it’s a Bills museum, restaurants, bars, hotels, or a mixture of it all — in and around the new Highmark Stadium has massive potential for commercial growth, which from 1973 until 2025 hardly materialized, or at least not to today’s standard.
And it would align with many new stadium builds to make the surrounding area a team-themed destination for fans 365 days a year.
Plus, this more audacious initiative would likely come with a compounding effect.
The more restaurants, bars, hotels, and retail there is around the new Highmark Stadium, the more marquee events the Bills would likely be considered to host at the stadium on a non game day.
And count me in among those who support making Orchard Park and the new Highmark Stadium and a national attraction.
