SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE - They came from all over - Germany, Bolivia, Wales - and they spent lots of money.

According to several Yellowknife businesses, that's how it went for the 183 people who travelled to Yellowknife to celebrate the city's 75th anniversary from June 19 to July 4.

Matthew Grogono, owner of Yk Glass Recyclers, displays a tall glass brandished with a 75th anniversary logo designed by Yellowknife artist Janet Pacey. The item was popular with tourists who came to Yellowknife to celebrate the city's anniversary, said Grogono. - Guy Quenneville/NNSL photo

"I think it's been really wonderful in every sense," said Lisa Seagrave, general manager of the Gallery of the Midnight Sun, of the homecoming. "It brought a lot of traffic through and people have spent a lot of money in Yellowknife."

The art gallery sold a lot of T-shirts, Ragged Ass Road signs, carvings and various Yellowknife memorabilia, with approximately 30 per cent of its traffic over the past two weeks consisting of Yk 75 visitors, she added.

"People seemed quite motivated to buy because I think they wanted souvenirs of their visit," she said.

"I don't know if there's very many places that would draw so many people back for a reunion like this, so I think that Yellowknife is a special place. Obviously it was well publicized nationally because people did come from all over."

"We had quite a noticeable increase in traffic because of the festival," echoed Matthew Grogono, owner of Yk Glass Recyclers, where the most popular item among homecoming participants was a recycled glass branded with a Yk 75 logo designed by Yellowknife artist Janet Pacey.

"I'd like to say we were up about 40 per cent than where we would generally be (in late June)."

At Chateau Nova, between 15 and 20 out of the hotel's 80 rooms were taken up by festival goers, said general manager Jenni Bruce.

"I bet you it could have been more (but) with the Midnight Golf Classic Tournament we already had quite a number of rooms sold prior," she said. "Overall I'd say business was up. We did very well."

Not all businesses reported a rise in business.

"We didn't pick up a whole lot," said Derek Carmody, general manager of 129-room Yellowknife Inn, which had about 15 bookings as a result of the homecoming. "There wasn't as much as I was expecting, I think maybe because a lot of people had friends and relatives who they were staying with."

That being said, Carmody heard only good things about the festival from customers.

"It was good for our regular customers because the homecoming organizers were advertising some other things for them to do in town, like the Giant Mine tour," he said.