Fox Theater likely to help bolster downtown Pomona businesses

At I Do!, a shop offering bridal and special occasion gowns along with tuxedos, owner Noemi Torres said she has already felt the effect of the theater's opening.

"Because of the opening a lot of ladies are coming to get dresses," Torres said.

The theater is going to have a positive impact on Pomona on different levels, she said.
"I think it's going to bring a lot of business to Pomona," Torres said.

Beyond that, it's going to work to change the image of the city as a whole and show visitors that Pomona has much to offer, she said.

Like downtowns, movie palaces went through a period of decline but, today, theaters are seen as assets.

Increasingly, people are seeing the value of historic movie palaces and see them "as a way to anchor neighborhoods," drawing restaurants and other businesses around them, said Mike Buhler, director of advocacy for the Los Angeles Conservancy.

Together, they work to "revitalize neighborhoods as a whole," he said.

Places like the Fox do have an impact on the neighborhoods where they re-open.

One example is the Alex Theater in Glendale. The facility, which dates back to 1925, closed in the 1980s after it had gone into decline.

Glendale's redevelopment agency opted in 1992 to turn the Alex into a performing arts center.

At the time there were two goals, said Barry McComb, executive director of Glendale Arts, a nonprofit hired by the city to operate the theater.

One goal "was to save a historic icon," he said.

The second goal was to have the Alex "serve as the central economic catalyst for downtown."

The Alex has done both.

Like its diverse community, the Alex offers a wide-range of programs ranging from classic films and performances of the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra to live children's theater and tours of the Alex.

Glendale and the Alex were included in a study conducted by Americans for the Arts that looked at 156 communities of varying sizes across the nation and the economic impact of having nonprofit arts and culture organizations.

The study found that in Glendale the average patron spent just under $20 when making a visit to the Alex Theater, McComb said.

A person will spend money on getting something to eat, making a purchase at a nearby shop and parking.

"The Alex has about a $3 million impact per year," on the city, he said.

Add to that wages for people employed there and other costs and the impact grows to close to $5 million a year, McComb said.

Theaters provide jobs and bring money into the neighborhoods they are in, said Elizabeth Currid, assistant professor at the USC School of Policy, Planning and Development who has studied the impact of theaters on neighborhoods.

Culturally, theaters add to their neighborhoods plus "they have a very, very important tourism component," she said.

Such facilities draw residents who want to be near such activities and that in turn adds to the vibrancy of a neighborhood, she said.

Even in a difficult economy, the Fox is drawing the attention of business people to Pomona, said Larry Egan, executive director of the Downtown Pomona Owners Association.

Various businesses are looking to open in the city because the owners have seen what is happening to the Fox, Egan said.

The Fox is expected to draw about 2,000 people for an event such as a concert, Egan said.

"That's practically an art walk," he said, referring to Second and Fourth Saturday Art Walks, that consistently draws large crowds to downtown.

Mayor Elliott Rothman sees the Fox adding to downtown and the city as a whole.

"I think it's going to be one of the cornerstones for the city of Pomona," Rothman said. "It should be one of the crown jewels of the city."

Downtown has restaurants and various entertainment venues, but the Fox is going to offer visitors something different, he said.

"It's going to be a magnet. People are curious" and anxious to see what it looks like inside, Rothman said.

People know Pomona as the home of the L.A. County Fair, but before long, people will also know Pomona as the home to the restored Fox Theater, he said.