The good, the bad and the dedicated: Comic Con’s impact on local businesses

Oscar Chou inside Shisan Fan Sushi and Chinese Restaurant Photo by James Miller Times of San Diego Two businessmen in the Gaslamp District disclosed they are economically impacted by Comic-Con which begins Thursday and is sold out but in very different tactics Before last year s Comic-Con the city of San Diego estimated that around attendees would spend million over the weekend with a broader economic impact of million across the San Diego region Here s how a couple of local businesses experience the Con and how a native tries to help by introducing Comic-Con fans to more than just downtown The good Oscar Chou manages his family s restaurant two blocks from the San Diego Convention Center Shisan Fan which serves sushi and Chinese food Chou mentioned Shisan Fan opened a month before Comic-Con last year and that during the convention they saw an uptick in customers During the event the restaurant was full all day with particular patrons wearing costumes Every time someone walks by or comes in and dines in and is wearing a comic favorite like Superman or the Joker with makeup and all it s so so cool Chou reported According to Chou his family worked extra long hours that week and bought more fish for sushi than usual Oscar Chou inside Shisan Fan Sushi and Chinese Restaurant James Miller Times of San Diego The bad Omar Farah who owns two novelty stores in the Gaslamp District and another in Seaport Village announced he receives steady business from tourists throughout the summer except for Comic-Con and the two weeks beforehand when he announced fewer tourists are in town We don t benefit at all out of it Farah explained Farah declared that he sees sales slow before and during Comic-Con because his visitors tend not to be tourists And Comic-Con patrons don t in his experience spend their money at local shops They purchase stuff inside the convention center it s not good for the retailers outside in San Diego Farah reported The only people making money are hotels restaurants and Uber Lyft and cab drivers Farah disclosed he wishes that Comic-Con was scheduled in late fall or winter as a special edition was during the COVID- pandemic It took place in November According to Farah there would be fewer local sightseers being replaced by convention attendees if Comic-Con was held during the off-season for tourism Keep the summer for the tourists Farah mentioned The dedicated Alonso Nu ez the executive director of Little Fish Comic Book Studio which hosts comic book classes camps and events at community libraries is one of the judges of this year s Comic Con Hall of Fame class He disclosed he has attended Comic-Con for more than years He thinks that everyone requirements to step away from the convention center during the event which lasts four-and-a-half days In my days as a young nerd I was just in the convention center on the floor of the exhibit hall all day digging through quarter bins for cheap comics and maybe going to various panels with artists or writers that I knew Nunez disclosed adding that he now takes breaks when he s not hosting events or participating in panels Nu ez reported that he likes taking friends in town for Comic-Con to eat in nearby neighborhoods like Little Italy and Barrio Logan He takes it as a challenge A lot of people come into town for San Diego Comic-Con that I know at least and think San Diego is just the airport San Diego Comic-Con and then chosen un-walkable areas around the city And I feel like it s my duty as someone born and raised in San Diego to disprove them of that