SPRINGFIELD, Mo. - At Knightyme Bar and Billiards, the smoke has cleared but so have the customers.
“We don't have the folks any more. They have all disappeared,” said Knightyme owner Jim Knight.
Knight says, since the smoking ban took effect in June, business is down 40 percent.
Another business seeing revenue declines is Enterprise Lanes bowling alley, which reports a 15-percent drop in business.
“I think it is pretty obvious if it is hurting businesses. We have businesses closing. We have businesses laying people off,” said Dave Myers of Live-Free Springfield, which spearheaded a petition initiative to try to repeal the city’s ban on smoking in most public places that started last June.
Supporters promised the ban wouldn't put a major damper on business, and claimed the smoke-free businesses actually bring an increase in revenue. However, opponents say they've had eight months to see otherwise.
“It is the same story bar after bar after bar,” said Knight.
The economy has been down, but business owners like Jim say that’s not the sole reason behind the declines.
“Bars have always basically been recession-proof,” Knight said.
He says his sales didn’t fall until after the smoking ban took effect.
“The fact that businesses have weathered the economic storm, but are all of the sudden closing since the ban, that is very telling,” said Myers.
“It is hard to say if this has affected them or not. Perhaps the sales are down due to other reasons,” said Mary Mannix-Decker, finance director for the City of Springfield.
The City says sales tax revenue overall was up from June through the end of 2011. Numbers for the bar and restaurants, however, have shown decreases some months -- and have remained flat.
“Undoubtedly, this has affected some business more than others,” said Mannix-Decker.
“It is not like we are making it up. It’s right there. You can see it happening,” said Myers.
Mannix-Decker said a new survey of bar revenue should be completed in the next several weeks. That could provide an updated picture as to how the smoking ban could impact certain establishments.
Live-Free Springfield said it turned in at least 4,000 signatures on petitions calling for a repeal of the smoking ban. It needs about 2,100 of them to be valid signatures of city residents.
Those signatures were submitted to the city clerk's office this week. Once the petitions are certified, it would then be up to the city council to vote for a repeal or pass the issue on to the voters at an election this year.
