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Owners of neighboring businesses have noticed a surge since the Del Mar reopened earlier this month. Sentinel Photo by Shmuel Thaler

Opening week for the renovated Del Mar movie theater was a glowing success, according to the owners and nearby merchants who saw sales jump as movie-goers flocked to the painstakingly restored Art Deco movie house.

Several businesses have extended their hours to accommodate the extra business, and it seems to be paying off.

For Del Mar owners Jim Schwenterley and Chuck Volwiler, the crowd of more than 1,000 people who came through the theater on Feb. 8, opening night, to see "Monsters Ball," "Brotherhood of the Wolf" and "Dark Blue World," was a sweet confirmation that they had taken a smart risk.

"We had nothing concrete that the audience would be there for the extra venues, but we had to take it on faith that there would be based on our experience here," Schwenterley said.

The strong independent films and a buzz of excitement around the renovated theater attracted an estimated 4,300 guests in the first week alone.

"The first week has far exceeded our expectations," Schwenterley said. "The response has been overwhelming."

The Del Mar has one 500-seat theater and two 140-seat theaters. Because it will show independent films, Schwenterley says it is more likely to affect his other business around the corner, the four-screen Nickelodeon Theatre, which also shows independent films, than the Cinema 9 theater up the street, which plays first-run movies from the major studios.

Cinema 9 management said they didn’t notice a change in attendance during the week.

The Santa Cruz crowds that have packed the Nickelodeon for years were the impetus for the expansion.

"We weren’t able to play all the product that was available, and we were very often squeezing people into theaters that were too small for the films that were showing. We didn’t know if going to be competing with ourselves," Schwenterley said. "So far it’s played out really well. So far it hasn’t affected anything at the Nickelodeon at all."

And merchants nearby couldn’t be happier. Since the 1989 earthquake leveled much of downtown, the south end of Pacific Avenue has been slow to revive. Merchants see the revival of the Del Mar as a turning point.

Across the street from the Del Mar, Logos Books & Records owner John Livingston said he lengthened weekend store hours to accommodate movie foot traffic.

"It was definitely worth our being open those extra hours," Livingston said. "I just looked at the numbers and this weekend looked above what we’ve been doing the last few weekends. We’re hopeful that will continue."

Logos is planning to improve lighting out front to attract movie-goers. Livingston says his customers and independent movie house visitors are likely to be the same crowd.

"We remember the old days of the Del Mar, before the earthquake, and we used to get quite an overflow."

Victoria Yiannatsis, manager at Jade, a high-end women’s clothing store just a few doors from the Del Mar, said there was a dramatic increase in sales the first week of the Del Mar. The store has increased its hours from a 7 p.m. closing time to 9 p.m. on big movie nights.

Hoffman’s Bakery Cafe extended its hours and sales were up 5 to 10 percent in the first week, said general manager Marie Hoffman.

"It’s definitely helping our business. I think it will be a positive influence on all the businesses downtown."

Speaking from experience, Kurt Haveman, co-owner of Mr. Goodie’s Antiques & Collectibles, said sales increased about 50 percent with the opening of Cinema 9 in 1994.

"It turned around almost immediately," he said. "It brought so many people in."

Many downtown merchants see the Del Mar opening as a boost for a struggling downtown economy.

"The challenges in the economy weren’t created by one big thing," said Greg Carter, Santa Cruz Area Chamber of Commerce executive director. "They were created by a collection of small factors, and I think that the turnaround, the repairing of the economy, is also doing to be constructed by a lot of small wins. Those people (going to the Del Mar) are going buy coffee, desserts, shop in the boutiques. It’s one little factor that’s going to make things a little bit better. When we can string enough of those things together we’re gong to see the turnaround."

Despite the buzz around the new theater, Schwenterley calls himself a realist.

"I know we were lucky that there were couple of really strong films available for the opening and there was a lot of publicity for the theater itself," Schwenterley said. "But after a few months when everything settles down and it’s not news anymore, it will still have a reputation as a great place to go but will be more attention to what’s playing. It always comes down to the film."

Contact Jennifer Pittman atjpitt4@aol.com.

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