PITTSBURGH — The colorful T-shirts were stacked neatly in piles four or five high on a folding table in front of Iron City Weiners, and vendor Gary Monahan sat nearby, anxious to sell his wares.

He had high hopes of making $10,000 in sales during All-Star weekend, but so far, the first couple of days have been slow. "We won't probably make more than $500," Monahan said. "Nobody's buying. It just seems that nobody wants to spend."

There is nothing like the All-Star Game to make some money, what with 250,000 expected in town to take part in baseball's midsummer celebration. Most hotels are said to be booked, restaurants are stocking up on supplies and vendors are hoping to hawk lots of souvenirs.

Officials have estimated that the game could pump more than $52 million into the local economy, although so far, some businesses and workers such as Monahan say the effect has been hit-and-miss.

Locals say there is at least a noticeable difference in the number of people strolling on downtown streets that usually aren't bustling during weekends. The normally busy South Side neighborhood, which is filled with bars and restaurants, was another popular destination for All-Star revelers.

"We've been packed," said Renee Augestine, manager at August Henry's City Saloon, which is around the corner from the convention center where Major League Baseball is holding its interactive FanFest exhibition. Heavy business this weekend has already forced workers to go to a supply depot to restock their shelves.

"After FanFest closes, we just get everybody in here," Augestine said.

That's exactly what Bob Imperata likes to hear. As vice president of Visit Pittsburgh, an agency that promotes tourism in Allegheny County, Imperata hopes that All-Star weekend will drum up extra businesses and get All-Star visitors to come back for another vacation.

For its part, the city has been making an extra effort to clean up the streets.

Abandoned cars have been towed away, abandoned homes have been boarded up and graffiti-covered walls along the river near PNC park have been cleaned and covered with a fresh coat of paint.

Economic development officials have convention brokers in town in hopes of selling Pittsburgh as a site for future gatherings.

FanFest began Friday, but events at PNC Park didn't start until Sunday, when even more All-Star visitors were expected to arrive in town.

"We're really excited about showing off Pittsburgh," Imperata said.

Baseball fans on Friday night unexpectedly filled up the Artists Upstairs gallery in Pittsburgh's Cultural District, near the convention center — so much so that the gallery ran out of food and beer, intern Felicia Kieselhorst said.