Macklemore video makes Modesto finally feel ‘Glorious,’ gives businesses a boost

And they say nothing cool ever happens in Modesto. Well, now some 12 million people know better.

A week after Grammy-winning rapper Macklemore released the video for his new solo hit “Glorious,” which was shot entirely in Modesto and the surrounding area, the clip has been awash in adoration and the places featured have felt an influx of interest. The video received 2.9 million views on YouTube the first day it was released, and has racked up about 10 million more across social media since.

Made in celebration of the upcoming 100th birthday of his grandmother Helen Schott, who has lived in Modesto for almost 20 years, the video shows the Seattle-based hip-hop artist taking her on an adventure to do “whatever” she wants for the day. Shot over a few days mid-June, Macklemore and his grandmother stopped to film at half a dozen Modesto businesses, which are all shown prominently in the video. They include Hy-Step Shoes, Runaround Sue’s bar, Boomers! Modesto, WinCo Foods, Foundation Tattoo and Second Chance Consignment & Costume Corner.

Since then, many have reported a bona fide Macklemore bounce. They’re received numerous calls, curious new customers and proud existing ones who want to know more about the music video.

“Oh yeah, I’ve definitely seen an increase in fresh faces. In fact I have two older ladies here now and that’s why they came,” said Lee Brittell, owner of Runaround Sue’s, the karaoke bar featured in the clip. “Since Thursday more than 11 million people have seen the inside of my bar and no one else can say that. It’s been a big plus for me.”

At Foundation Tattoo, where Macklemore and his family stopped to shoot him getting a “Helen” tattoo on his arm in Schott’s honor, shop manager Sarah Teter said people have been flocking to their Facebook and Instagram accounts to inquire about the musician’s visit and their own ink.

“It is super rad. I feel like all of us here at Foundation are not only proud we got to be part of this video and a momentous occasion for this woman who is turning 100, but also the fact we get to represent Modesto. We got an opportunity to shine and that was really cool,” she said.

That chance to show the best of Modesto, a Central Valley city that has not always received complimentary coverage in the wider media, is one most of the businesses involved felt passionate about. The city has made a number of so-called “Worst Cities” lists for things like car theft, job availability and general misery over the years. But that’s not the Modesto many involved with the video know and love.

“What’s really nice is that something good has happened in Modesto and everyone is like, ‘Wow, this is great,’ ” said Kristy George. whose shop Second Chance Consignment & Costume Corner on McHenry Avenue is in the video. “We tend to be known for a lot of things that are not so good. So it’s nice to have a change from that. Modesto needs that; it’s a great town.”

This is not Modesto’s first foray into the world of pop culture. The city was the setting for the first season of the acclaimed ABC drama “American Crime,” though that was largely in name only as only some stock footage of the city was used and the rest of the series was shot in Texas. It has also been the backdrop for an episode of the drama series “Criminal Minds” and even the epicenter of a meteor strike that brought about mutant powers and an alien invasion in the 2009 DreamWorks animated family film “Monsters vs. Aliens.”

In recent years the city has gotten some more positive buzz. Celebrity chef and Food Network star Guy Fieri stopped in town last year to film at three eateries for his series “Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives.” The episodes aired that spring and the restaurants have all since reported a significant uptick in business.

The Macklemore video already has been shared widely with mentions from the “Today’ show and features on CNN. Even the AARP got into the action, celebrating the video’s outreach to the elderly.

Macklemore’s grandmother, who The Bee interviewed when the video was released, called whole experience “delightful.” The superstar also seemed pleased by the attention Schott, who turns 100 in November, has received.

“An inside look into the Glorious video. Got my Gramma doing interviews out here. Haha. Well done,” he posted on Twitter with a link to her Bee interview.

Macklemore and his music partner Ryan Lewis’ biggest hits like “Thrift Shop,” “Can’t Hold Us,” “Same Love” and “Downtown” have received close to a combined 2 billion views on YouTube. All the new eyes seeing Modesto, probably for the first time, can only help its image.

“It really did put Modesto in a great light and that’s what I was impressed with, too,” Brittell said. “Modesto is always car theft capital of the world and all that other bad stuff. But this is something different, this is great.”

This story was originally published July 12, 2017 at 4:19 PM with the headline "Macklemore video makes Modesto finally feel ‘Glorious,’ gives businesses a boost."