D'Iberville business owners excited to welcome city's first casino
D'IBERVILLE, MS (WLOX) -
D'Iberville's first casino will open its doors Dec. 9 and with hundreds of hotel rooms four restaurants and miniature golf course, The Scarlet Pearl is the talk of the town.
"The anticipation is through the roof," said R.J. Deno, who owns a tamale stand. "I have sat here on my porch and watch it come from the ground up. And the higher it got, the greater my anticipation of the opening. It couldn't be more exciting."
D'Iberville business owners say they're expecting to see a huge influx of visitors; some of whom they hope will also find their way to exploring the city.
"We are extremely excited about it being one week until the casino opens," said Jessica Lambert, manager of CJ's Seafood House.
Once the casino opens, small businesses anticipate an economic boost they hope will trickle down.
"We're hoping that a lot of the small business gets a lot of new business that come in and a lot of businesses get discovered," Lambert said. "With the Scarlet Pearl, a lot of people will be coming in from out of town so therefore the small businesses will get more attention."
Business owners say more attention will spark more interest in investing in the area.
Deno added, "When you have businesses and things pop up that generate new people coming to the area, it happens on it's own. It has a boomtown effect. People come in, they look for places to be part of the excitement."
Business owners say they're impressed with the street improvements the City of D'Iberville has done in preparation for the new casino.