There's a lot to celebrate this weekend — Mother's Day, and several college and high school seniors are turning their tassels.
This means a big weekend is ahead for local businesses like Pacific Island Accessories in Killeen.
“This year I had asked for those who need leis to do so months in advance. I'm glad I did because we have so many requests,” said Pacific Island Accessories Owner, Diana Dixon.
Dixon said graduation is the busiest time of year.
Her custom-made graduation leis are in high demand. Even her own daughter Kaleigh Watkins, who is graduating this weekend, wants one.
“I asked for the flowers with $100 bills and my graduation stash and everything like that,” Watkins said.
Over in Harker Heights, Life’s Sweet Bites owner Donna Curtis said she has been baking nonstop.
“Mothers know when it comes to homemade or not or store-bought, they know the difference. You want to make sure they have something that is really going to light up their pallets,” Curtis said.
As the Mother’s Day orders pile up, Curtis says it's an opportunity for her business to grow.
“I am excited about being able to expand my business. It’s a test to see if it makes sense to continue it,” Curtis said.
Local restaurants are expecting big turnouts this weekend — Dead Fish Grill in Belton said they have prepared for months now.
“We have been preparing for it for a year in advance. We take reservations starting the day after Mother’s Day. We up our staffing. We take our time planning out how much food we’re going to need. He created a special menu just for Mother’s Day just encapsulate everything,” said General Manager, Harold Manning.
Financial expert Ray Perryman says there will also be new travelers to the area as well.
“It was a long struggle for the hospitality sector and the retail sector, but we have seen that all of them now are exceeding what they were doing prior to the pandemic. Even the airlines are exceeding what they did prior to the pandemic,” Perryman said.
He also said many guests will visit multiple stores while they are in town.
