COLUMBUS, Ohio — Rivalry week means big business for local shops, especially where you can get baked goods with Buckeye pride. It's also busier than ever for these business owners, leading up to Thanksgiving.
At Buckeye Donuts it's the busiest week of the year.
“100% one of the busier times of the year,” said owner, Jimmy Barouxis. “A lot of alumni come back for this big game a lot of tradition behind this big game. We start seeing customers that were coming here in the 70s and the 80s and the 90s, coming back for this game.”
Alumni, who crave a sentimental sweet.
“This campus has changed a whole lot and we're one of the last remnants of the old campus,” Barouxis said. “Same location believe it or not same corner right here on the campus of the OSU.”
From one business that's been open for decades, to another that just opened in 2021.
“The day before Thanksgiving, we found this out the hard way last year, is probably the busiest day of the year,” said Brad Kaplan, owner of Lion Cub’s Cookies.
Lion Cub's Cookies in Grandview Heights is selling Buckeye cookies by the sheet pan.
“It is a warm cocoa base with semi-sweet chocolate chips and Reese’s peanut butter chips in the dough,” explained Kaplan. “Then we worked with Anthony Thomas to supply buckeyes. We take an Anthony Thomas buckeye and we jam it in the middle of the cookie and we bake it into the cookie so it's kind of like a warm peanut butter Gusher.”
It's that classic chocolate and peanut butter combo that fuels the fan base for the game or a thanksgiving feast.
“Buckeye pride is incredible,” Kaplan said.
For the Short North Arts District, this last week of November has always been big for business, with Black Friday, Small Business Saturday, and the game. But this year is different. A statement from the Short North Alliance says it's "more meaningful as we have begun to see businesses trend back toward pre-pandemic levels."