The Double Decker Bump in Oxford Business

Photo by Nathan Latil

Since 1996, Oxford has hosted the annual Double Decker Festival on the Square, attracting a plethora of new customers that bring a financial boom rarely seen throughout the year.

“Double Decker, I would say, would be a top five day so it would compete with a big SEC game, it is much better than a normal game,” said Steve Hinton, Owner of the Hinton & Hinton clothing store. “For instance, Double Decker will compare with LSU or Alabama numbers, anything like that SEC-wise are always our bigger games. It definitely is not on the bottom and not on the top, but top five for sure.”

Businesses on the Square prepare months in advance to get ready for Double Decker to make sure that their staffs are ready for the big weekend. Mistakes in numbers on inventory or staff mix-ups could be potentially costly on a weekend that drives as much revenue as Double Decker. 

“It’s such a big day that if you are going to utilize the opportunity you have, we literally buy for this occasion,” said Hinton. “So, not only from a standpoint of inventory levels do we prepare way in advance, but we also have extra staffing A-to-Z from sales people, to counter positions, to warehousing so we can facilitate if everything goes according to plan.”

Hinton and Hinton is right on the Square and so is the festival, so there may be tens of thousands of people who pass by, and many will stop in.

“I’ve watched it grow with Oxford, the popularity of the Double Decker Festival has grown as Oxford has grown and the university has grown,” said Hinton and Hinton manager Mark Shoemake. 

All the stores on the Square and in Oxford look to capitalize on the growth of the town throughout the weekend, and the customers eager to spend while on vacation.

Story contributed by Turner St. Romain and Brett Orsay.