The Taylor Swift economy has permeated every town in America.

In Middletown, Ohio, a line of fans snaked around a skateway parking lot on President’s Day. Traffic is jammed on the main street in front of us. Pizza trucks tottered into the already crowded lot to deliver pies. The crowd, mostly young girls, showed off Taylor Swift-themed bracelets and sang “Shake It Off.”

The atmosphere had all the stops of an Elas tour. However, the singer was nowhere to be seen.

But that didn’t matter to the crowd. And it didn’t matter to the link owner. The two-and-a-half-hour “Swifty Skate” drew more than 300 skaters and some parents to a small, nearly full rink.

The event was so popular that the rink owners are planning to hold it again in the near future.

“We know Taylor Swift is popular, and her music is the most requested at the rink,” Skateway spokeswoman Ginny Kidd said. According to Kidd, the skate session was enhanced by Swift-themed friendship bracelets, T-shirts, themed drinks and crowning Swift’s top fans.

“This was one of our most successful events,” Kidd said.

Ryan Herzog, an economics professor at Gonzaga University, said economic data is difficult to quantify, but it makes perfect sense for a small company like Skateway to try to get a piece of Taylor’s operation. He says he is.

“There’s nothing stopping Link from playing Taylor Swift’s music and lining up. Those numbers won’t show up in economic indicators, but they will show up in small business profits,” Herzog said. .

Mr. Herzog and New York Times op-ed columnist and Nobel Prize-winning economist Paul Krugman developed the kind of economic principles that have been linked to Taylor Swift’s success.

“She’s an economic event in her own right,” Herzog said of the singer, who was selected earlier this week for the inaugural CNBC Changemakers List, which spotlights women who innovate the world. It’s an economic phenomenon.” The world of business and the global economy.

Taylor Swift events that don’t include Taylor Swift range from library events to bar crawls, cruises, art parties, dance parties, and more.

At Rumi by Akira Back, an upscale Japanese restaurant in San Diego’s trendy Gaslamp Quarter, restaurateurs hosted Taylor Swift’s brunch in August, the same time she was scheduled to be in Los Angeles. We decided to hold it on the weekend.

“We sold out for the day within hours,” said Katie Bosworth, director of marketing for RMD Group, which owns Lumi.

The re-themed menu includes $13 mimosas that pay homage to the star’s favorite numbers, a cocktail named after Swift’s cat and a bracelet exchange while the singer’s remixed music plays. was. The restaurant is adding a Swift brunch next weekend and is planning a listening party when Swift’s new album is released in April.

Each brunch attracted 140 people and a waiting list. Bosworth said the response to Swift was comparable to the excitement the restaurant received at the San Diego Comic-Con convention, which drew more than 100,000 people, and the economic ripple effect was clear as brunch customers shopped at Artisan afterwards. says. Market in the adjacent Gaslamp District.

“This is a great way to cross-pollinate the business,” Bosworth said, adding that the restaurant used its experience to engage with potential new customers. They expected the brunch to draw regular customers, but it mainly attracted Swift fans who had never been to the restaurant.

Swift’s micro-economy extends to every corner of the country and transcends age groups.

Katie Lovell, private events manager for the Palace and Rex Theaters in Manchester, New Hampshire, wanted to host a dance party to bring her young clientele to local landmarks. She thought the Taylor Swift event would be a success.

The theater hosted two Swift dance parties on December 30th, both of which quickly sold out. Tickets were $20 for children under $12 and $25 for older children. Lovell, a Swiftie herself, put together playlists and video content and created specialty drinks, bracelet stations, face glitter stations, photo booths, Swift cardboard cuts, and more for attendees.

“It was a really fun event and very positive,” Lovell said. She saw the economic ripple effect the 600 attendees created outside the theater.

“People went downtown to eat and shop,” Lovell said, adding that for many who attended, it was their first time at the Rex Theater or in downtown Manchester. This event was such a success that we are planning to hold it again on March 23rd.

So many Taylor Swift items and terms (e.g. Swifties) are trademarked that some marketers are careful to avoid violations.

Swifty’s mother, Rebecca Landry, a travel agent from Frisco, Texas, responded to her 18-year-old daughter’s request for a Taylor Swift cruise by organizing the cruise herself. Landry organized a Taylor Swift-themed cruise that included a late-night slumber party, Taylor trivia, bingo, and karaoke. royal caribbeanleaving Galveston in June. She wanted an event aimed at small-town Swifties on the Plains who can’t go to Miami, where several big lines run Swift-themed cruises. Landry has named the event Summer Ella Cruise, but is careful to point out that the event has nothing to do with the singer.

Why Swift’s microeconomics is good for Taylor too

Brittany Hodak, a celebrity branding expert and author of “Superfans,” said such a small venue likely won’t have to worry about hearing from Swift’s lawyers.

“Her team is savvy enough to know that no matter what letter she sends, it’s going to get reported. So their strategy to protect themselves is that the Montana teen fans are skating.” It’s not that you can’t have a link party, it’s that it prevents larger organizations and business models from succeeding.”It’s not that we can’t have a link party, it’s that we prevent larger organizations and business models from succeeding.”It’s about disrupting the market and telling fans that there is an alliance with Taylor and support for something that doesn’t exist. “We made millions by making people think,” Hodak said.

And for Swift, the economic impact and branding benefits of these small-town celebrations are significant.

“One of the most powerful things she’s done is create a community that her fans want to be a part of in any way she can. She’s a person, so she can only be in one city at a time. “No. Dear Superfans,” Hodak said, “Even though I won’t be where she will be that night, I still have a desire to come together as a community and celebrate and rejoice.” That joy could create its own “Swift microeconomy” that could catch the attention of the Federal Reserve — The Beige Book of National Economic Performance recently described the impact of the Elas tour on Philadelphia. – but not visible to local craft stores or local craft stores. dance studio.

“She was able to build an entire economy around people who loved her and supported her,” said Hodak, who worked with Swift on several projects early in her career.

Small businesses will continue to profit from Swift’s new album, released in April, and the singer’s surge in popularity.

But Herzog believes the Swift economic phenomenon will disappear over time.

He may not hate it, but “I think we’ve reached our peak,” he said.