SPOKANE, Wash. — Preparing for the flood of 24,000 athletes, well it can take an army.
"Oh my gosh. My cousin comes and helps me, I have family and friends help me," Ava Haase, owner of Next Door Espresso in downtown Spokane, said.
It also takes a lot of shopping to make sure she stays in stock on the necessary ingredients, Haase said.
"So many Costco trips," Haase said.
All of this is in preparation for two days of work at the end of June, as Hoopfest brings thousands upon thousands of people to downtown Spokane.
But, what a busy two days it can be. Hasse's shop is usually closed on weekends, but makes an exception for Hoopfest.
"I have hoopers out front here, I have them behind me," Haase said. "Everybody is hungry and thirsty and needs a place to get out of the heat. It would be silly not to open for Hoopfest."
And it pays off for Next Door, as it marks the busiest time of their year. It also brings the shop a lot of exposure, even if it doesn't necessarily come easily.
"We get a lot of business, it's definitely the busiest time of year for me all around," Haase said. "There is a lot of time actually with Hoopfest that they'll come back because they didn't know we were here because we're in an odd location, but with Hoopfest they'll come in and see us and then they'll come back during the week."
It's an experience that Haase loves, as she meets new people and makes new regular customers as the basketball world converges on Spokane.
"It is a lot of work to put into just one weekend ... its just a good weekend," she said.