\n
![](\"https:\/\/content.fortune.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/AP24074788554877-e1710525289394.jpg?w=2048\")
<\/p>\n [ad_1]
\n<\/p>\n
Eclipse-themed beer. Jewelry and ornaments. And doughnuts that capture\u00a0the sun\u2019s disappearing act<\/a>\u00a0with the help of buttercream frosting.<\/p>\n With\u00a0April 8\u2019s total solar eclipse<\/a>\u00a0right around the corner, businesses are ready for the celestial event that will dim skies\u00a0along a generous path across North America.<\/a><\/p>\n There are oodles of\u00a0special eclipse safety glasses<\/a>\u00a0for sale, along with T-shirts emblazoned with clever slogans and other souvenirs \u2014\u00a0just like the last time<\/a>\u00a0the U.S. got a big piece of the total solar eclipse action in 2017.<\/p>\n Hotels and resorts along the\u00a0prime path<\/a>\u00a0are luring in visitors with special packages and Southwest and Delta are selling seats on eclipse-viewing flights. Cities, museums and parks are\u00a0staging watch parties<\/a>\u00a0to draw in tourists as well as residents.<\/p>\n \u201cThis is a special event and \u2026 the travel industry certainly is in a very good spot,\u201d said Jie Zhang, a marketing professor at the University of Maryland\u2019s business school. She also noted the eclipse craze arrives at a time when consumers are continuing to ramp up spending on new experiences.<\/p>\n Closer to eclipse day, there are likely to be more special products and promotions from national brands springing up, like Moon Pie\u2019s \u201ceclipse survival kit,\u201d made up of four mini versions of the chocolate snack and two pairs of eclipse glasses.<\/p>\n Small businesses within the eclipse\u2019s 115-mile-wide (185-kilometer-wide) path of totality appear to be leading the charge so far. Online shops and local vendors have put together a full array of creative, limited-edition merchandise: earrings, baby onesies, ornaments, games, banners and more.<\/p>\n Some towns and business owners have been anticipating the celestial event and huge crowds for years.<\/p>\n After the 2017 eclipse, \u201cI marked my calendar,\u201d said Sam McNulty, co-founder of Market Garden Brewery in Cleveland, which is in the eclipse path this time and will see nearly four minutes of dimmed skies.<\/p>\n Last year, McNulty\u2019s team brewed a hazy IPA called \u201cThe Totality\u201d to help drum up interest in the eclipse. The on tap debut was a success, and the brewery was soon approached by local grocer Heinen\u2019s to partner for a canned collaboration.<\/p>\n In the coming weeks, \u201cthousands and thousands\u201d of cans are set to hit store shelves, McNulty said \u2014 adding they decided to go big because of how rare the event is. Cleveland won\u2019t be in the path of totality again for a long time \u2014 not until 2444.<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t want to have to wait 420 years to brew the next batch of cans,\u201d he joked. \u201cSo we made a very large one this time.\u201d<\/p>\n The eclipse-themed beverages don\u2019t stop at beer. Big Cuppa, a coffee shop in Morrilton, Arkansas, also has a full eclipse menu with a handful of specialty drinks. Its \u201cMoon Pie Frappa\u201d is a blended Moon Pie drink flavored with dark chocolate and toasted marshmallow.<\/p>\n Big Cuppa co-owner Joseph Adam Krutz said that he\u2019s excited to greet customers and the many new faces set to travel through town next month. Krutz said his shop has been gearing up for a while along with other businesses in downtown Morrilton. He drives by a countdown clock each day.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re prepared. Bring it on,\u201d Krutz said.<\/p>\n And don\u2019t forget the snacks. In Ohio\u2019s Butler County, a shop called The Donut Dude will have an \u201cEclipse Donut Special\u201d that shows the eclipse\u2019s stages as the sun disappears behind the moon.<\/p>\n The special goes on sale later this month and consists of seven filled-doughnuts with rolled buttercream, two galaxy-themed cake doughnuts and safety glasses so customers can watch the event while snacking away.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re anticipating a lot of fun,\u201d co-owner Glen Huey said.<\/p>\n Since the doughnut shop is closed on Mondays, Huey is looking forward to watching the spectacle as it passes over his town between Cincinnati and Dayton.<\/p>\n In the U.S., Texas has the best odds for clear skies and the state expects to be swarmed with tourists. With a prime location, eateries in the town of Grapevine have a multitude of offerings: a \u201cBlackout Dinner\u201d at Hotel Vin and a \u201cSolar Eclipse Shake\u201d at Son of a Butcher.<\/p>\n Many businesses along the path of totality are offering special events leading up to the eclipse, too.<\/p>\n New York\u2019s Cayuga Lake Wine Trail is promoting \u201cSips to the Eclipse\u201d for the weekend ahead of April 8. Guests will be able to visit 10 wineries for tastings \u2014 some of which are offering additional attractions like an eclipse eve tarot card reading, special slushies and half-moon cookies.<\/p>\n Katherine Chase, executive director of the wine trail, said the promotion was planned in anticipation of all the people coming to the Finger Lakes region for the eclipse.<\/p>\n \u201cThe wineries can go as big or as little as they\u2019d like to entice folks to come,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\nSubscribe to the CEO Daily newsletter to get the CEO perspective on the biggest headlines in business. Sign up<\/a> for free.<\/div>\n