Grateful Dead concerts boost S.F.'s Haight-Ashbury merchants: ‘Biggest weekend for us of the year'

San Francisco Chronicle​

2 days ago

The massive, 60,000-person crowds celebrating the Grateful Dead's 60th anniversary this past week were a major economic boost for the Haight-Ashbury neighborhood where the band spent many of its early years.
'All the Deadheads, they all want to come to the Haight,' said Robert Emmons, president of the Haight Ashbury Merchants Association. 'This is definitely the biggest weekend for us of the year.'
Foot traffic on Haight Street was about five times the norm, said Emmons, who is also owner of the San Francisco Mercantile, a gift and souvenir store.
'It brought people from all over the U.S.,' Emmons said. That's particularly important given the decline in international tourism, especially from Canada and Mexico, to the U.S. and California in the face of the Trump administration's crackdown on immigration.
Hotels around the city saw a major spike in demand. Demand was up over 65% between July 31 and Aug. 3, compared to the same period in 2024, according to TravelClick Demand360 data provided by San Francisco Travel, the city's tourism bureau.
The momentum is continuing, according to the bureau. Between Aug. 8 and 10, hotel occupancy bookings are up an average of 12.5% around San Francisco thanks to the Outside Lands music festival, compared to a year earlier when the festival was held on the same dates. Emmons said Outside Lands, which is happening this weekend, is also expected to boost the Haight's businesses, though not as much as the Grateful Dead events.
More Grateful Dead celebrations were happening on Monday. In the Sunset, Salem Ofa, owner of Eye of the Tiger Tattoo, was inking for the 12th annual Bolt Day — named after the band's distinct lightning bolt logo.
Ofa gathered a dozen tattoo artists from around the country who were offering around 90 different bolt designs for $100 to $150 each. Fans started lining up at 6 a.m. and 94 people signed up to get a tattoo. About 20 merchandise vendors were also set up in the parking lot down the street from Ofa's studio.
'This is our biggest Bolt Day that we've ever had,' he said, thanks in part to a grant from the Civic Joy Foundation that helped fund the event.
Emmons said he is also encouraged about the reactions from tourists visiting the city. They hear about crime and dirty streets from national and local media coverage, but then San Francisco exceeds their expectations.
'They're very pleasantly surprised that San Francisco is in great shape,' he said.
Not everything is rosy for local businesses.
Tariffs are still a major concern, and Emmons' wholesale business has grappled with import charges that are around 30% higher than before. Around half of his souvenir business, including apparel and tote bags, are made in San Francisco. But products like mugs and water bottles are produced in Asia, which has been subject to various new tariffs.
Yet, he's still encouraged by new businesses opening in the Haight, which was hit by the pandemic but is now bouncing back. A bar called the Green Heron is opening in the former Hobson's Choice space this fall. The bar Trax closed but is reopening with new management as Mary's on Haight.
And a new record store owned by San Francisco punk musicians just opened, cheekily titled I Hate Records.
Chronicle staff writer David Hernandez contributed to this report.