Travelers Not Tripping Over Ballpark

You gotta love those Chicago Cubs fans.

When the Padres played the Cubbies at Petco Park last month, Downtown retailers earned a new appreciation for those trueblue Windy City folks.

The Cubs drew more than double the usual amount of out-oftown baseball fans staying at the Omni San Diego

The Yard House on Broadway reported that the Cubs - hands down - brought in the most business. And PJ's Cafe & Coffee Co. saw more sales during the weekend games against the Cubs.

But no matter what team is playing, some stores in the San Diego Business Journal's informal monthly survey that examines business around the ballpark during Petco Park's inaugural season just aren't connecting with baseball fans. Bill Keller, owner of Le Travel Store in the Gaslamp Quarter, said his luggage shop isn't what baseball fans are looking for as they make their way to and from the stadium.

And Robyn Snowden, manager of Splash Wearable Art Inc. on Fifth Avenue, said restaurants and bars seem to be doing great business on the nights the Padres play in town. Fans aren't spending in her store as she earlier hoped. The store sees one or two sales on game nights directly related to the ballpark crowd.

To make matters worse, some regular customers grouse about paying a visit on game nights because of perceived parking and traffic challenges, Snowden said.

"I have people who call and ask if there's a game," she said. "People have said they want to shop before the games and crowds."

Here's a breakdown of business around the ballpark:

*Splash Wearable Art Inc. - On game nights, Snowden has noticed a marked increase in public drunkenness, and her shop has experienced some security problems. Splash is next door to Dick's Last Resort, a tavern, but the two businesses have been neighbors for nine years. So Snowden connects problems directly to ballpark fans.

"We're very disappointed about the crowd," she said. "There are a lot of drunk people. It's not the crowd we were hoping for."

Behrooz Farahani, owner of Shiraz, a casual fine dining restaurant on Fourth Avenue, agreed.

"There are more drunk people walking, making problems," Farahani said.

He's had flowers stolen from outside his restaurant. But he's cautious about confronting baseball fans because they often travel in groups of five to 10 people.

The Padres played fewer home games only nine - in May than any month throughout the 2004 baseball season. It was a welcome reprieve for Splash, Snowden said.

"I'm happier when there are less games. Parking is more affordable for me, and there are less security issues," she said.

Litter is another problem on game nights, Snowden said.

Also, employee parking on game nights remains an issue, she said.

"We need a city-run Downtown employee parking structure," she said, "or part of a structure that is permit parking for employees."

*Le Travel Store - When the baseball season first started, Keller feared his shop might suffer lost sales because Le Travel Store is a destination shop that doesn't rely on impulse buying. The store caters to people who are planning big trips, so they need nearby parking to haul purchases - pieces of luggage and other travel gear - back to their vehicles.

Keller worried his clientele wouldn't be willing to brave parking and congestion problems on game days.

He also was concerned because parking structures bumped up prices on weekend mornings instead of waiting until a few hours before the evening games, which would further affect his clientele.

During the past month, Gaslamp shop owners expressed their concerns. Central Parking changed its policy on its Market Street lots. "(Central Parking) is going with regular pricing until 6 p.m.," Keller said. "They listened and responded."

Sundays are generally good sales days at Le Travel Store. The shop enjoyed significantly higher sales on a May weekend that didn't have a game in town, Keller said. But on May 9, which also wasn't a game day, sales slumped. So Keller hesitated to link lower sales with Petco Park.

"As kind of expected, the Gaslamp (Quarter) is more affected by what goes on at the Convention Center more than what goes on at the ballpark," Keller said.

*PJ's Cafe & Coffee Co. - Already, this shop has grown accustomed to 30 percent higher sales on game days, said. manager Abe Mac Neil.

"Now, it seems like sales are down when (the Padres) are away," Mac Neil said. "It feels extraordinarily slow."

Thursday games bring in heavy business before the first inning, but fans don't stop by much after games end, he said. "People have to go to work and school the next day," Mac Neil said.

Fridays and Saturdays prove different. The coffeehouse enjoys a good showing both before and after games.

Mac Neil's shop hasn't experienced any trouble with drunkenness, vandalism, or litter. On the contrary, he sees a decrease in the number of homeless people on the streets on game days. He feels an increased police presence makes the area around the ballpark undesirable for transients when the Padres play at Petco Park.

Now that some of the newness has worn off Petco Park, Mac Neil feels fans linger Downtown longer instead of rushing to the stadium, which is good for business around the ballpark, he said.

One problem Mac Neil sees on game days: A traffic jam at Fifth Avenue & K Street, near PJ's. The San Diego Trolley runs more often on game days, he said. And increased foot traffic combines to create a squeeze.

*Omni San Diego Hotel - When the Cubs were in town, the hotel's restaurant, McCormick & Schmick's, broke records, said Ed Netzhammer, general manager.

"During the Cubs series, it was the busiest since we opened (on April 7)," Netzhammer said.

A booking at the nearby Convention Center helped some too, he said.

Typically, every Saturday night game brings special catering events to the hotel. And the hotel's sixth-floor outdoor terrace that shows the games is seeing more business now that San Diego is becoming more familiar with the new Omni.

Looking ahead, Netzhammer is surprised with the number of bookings already in place for the last three series in September. The hotel sees spikes in reservations when the Giants and Dodgers come to town.

"Teams in our division seem to be having a better draw," Netzhammer said.

*Yard House - Parking hasn't turned out to be as big a problem for employees or customers at this eatery, which sits 11 blocks from Petco Park.

"We're far enough away from the stadium," said spokeswoman Jennifer Weerheim. "It's not as big a hurdle as we anticipated. We're still benefiting from (the ballpark) but we're not hurt by the parking situation."

Sales remain about 10 percent higher on game days, Weerheim said.

"It feels good. There's a nice energy; there's excitement (Downtown). It's changed since the new stadium opened and our manager loves it," she said.

*Ace Parking - Fans are holding to their original parking patterns, said John Baumgardner, CEO of Ace Parking. They are paying more to park closer to the ballpark, leaving spaces open north of Broadway. The most popular structures and lots are south of Broadway.

Ace Parking has teamed with the Padres to provide 11,000 spots for game days.

The company sells about 500 single-day parking passes per game on the weekends, which prove to be the most popular time for the passes.

In Padre-designated lots, Ace sells a total of about 4,500 spots per game, Baumgardner said.