Burning Man organizers are estimating the regional economic impact of the festival to be $45 million this year. Our contributor Brook Bentley of Northern Nevada Business Weekly explores how one Reno business has been handling the influx.
A popular stop for many burners is the Whole Foods Market on South Virginia Street. On a normal day, the store averages 3,500 transactions, but around Burning Man, that number jumps to 5,500.
Over the weekend, the store expanded its hours and brought in extra employees from several other locations.
They've also been partnering with Reno Cycling to have a mobile bike station set up outside the store so that burners can buy and repair their digs before heading out to the playa.
This year, more than 67,000 people will make the trek.