Sundance a hit in downtown S.L.

To the delight of city and Sundance officials, the downtown Salt Lake festival district was a success for the festival, city — and local businesses.

"Businesses near the theaters are really happy about how it's going," said Bob Farrington, executive director of the Downtown Alliance. "They feel it's made a noticeable difference in their businesses."

New this year, the Sundance Institute created a central area for the Sundance Film Festival in downtown Salt Lake City. The "corridor," between the Rose Wagner Performing Arts Center and the Broadway Centre Cinemas on 300 South, also included a Festival Cafe in the Wells Fargo Building on Main that acted as a public hospitality suite.

And though the "corridor" activity during the festival's 10-day run was a meager comparison to Park City's booming Main Street, it was enough to make local businesses happy.

In addition to the Broadway and Rose Wagner (a new Sundance venue), the Tower Theater, 876 E. 900 South, was part of the festival district. The theater has been a Sundance Film Festival venue for more than a dozen years, and local businesses in the Ninth and Ninth area have reaped the benefits.

One of the biggest beneficiaries has been the Coffee Garden, 898 S. 900 East. The coffee shop/cafe has been open since June 1993 and has served many Tower and Sundance Film Festival audiences, according to co-owner Alan Hebertson.

"There are times between movies where we get absolutely slammed. Not that I'm complaining," he said. "We've even had a lot of famous people show up, which is exciting."

Hebertson credited the festival with "kick-starting" the Coffee Garden's business year. "After Thanksgiving, our business dries up because of Christmas shopping. But Sundance is what starts our busiest time of the year, from January to June."

And he's hoping that the festival's new Salt Lake City downtown "corridor" will do likewise for a new Coffee Garden location in Sam Weller's Zion Bookstore on Main Street.

Ironically, the Coffee Garden will be closing in its current Ninth and Ninth location at the end of January and will be moving to a new space next door to the Tower.

Farrington also said the festival's presence in downtown helps to kick off the new year. "It adds a nice buzz at the beginning of the year."