They're gone now, the crowd of shoppers from Albuquerque, but there's little doubt that people visiting Duke City for the balloon fiesta who made side trips to Santa Fe gave the local economy a boost.

Helping the visitors find Santa Fe were two state workers who staffed a booth in Balloon Fiesta Park every day of the popular event and directed questioners to Santa Fe, said Keith Toler, executive director of the Santa Fe Convention and Visitors Bureau.

"Things worked out real well," Toler said, adding, adding that a convention of the Council of States Government-West also resulted in the crowded streets in downtown Santa Fe last week. More than 400 people attended that event.

"It was a good week for us," Toler said.

Among those who had a busy time was 72-year-old John Kinsolving, owner of a Plaza business called Tees and Skis, which will soon celebrate its 30th anniversary.

This week's crowds "saved our bacon," Kinsolving said Thursday, another busy day for him. "I was going to close last spring, but for the last 10 days, we've had a record day every day. We've just blown through our previous best days."

With all the sales, "we've finally made back the money we borrowed to keep the store open," Kinsolving said. "It's amazing."

What Kinsolving called "a fair amount" of shoppers were from the balloon fiesta. "They're real slow right now, but about noon they start showing up. They're here until 5 o'clock."

That's the store normal closing hour, but, Kinsolving said, "I was open until
8 o'clock the other night. That was when they canceled the Balloon Glow."

Despite the strong sales this week, Kinsolving said they pale in comparison to those of the late 1980s and early '90s, when Sam Pick was mayor and Santa Fe was coming into its own as a tourist destination.

"I used to gross $300,000 to $400,00 a year," he said. "Now our business is about half of what it used to be."

Across town at Sissel's Fine Quality Jewelry, "we have been very busy because of the people from the balloon fiesta," saleswoman Johnette Allerton said. "We've had a quite a few little ladies who have walked through our doors. And they're buying. It's a little boost for this time of year."

As for their hometowns, "they're from all over," including Texas and New York, she said. "And Japan, too."

At the Turquoise Trail Trading Post on N.M. 14, "Madrid has been slammed with ballooners," said business owner Riana Newman. "Today seems rather slow. It does seem to be busier when they can't fly because of bad weather."

Newman added: "This is our biggest business this time of year. But it's only a week."

Several downtown restaurant owners also said they had a good week during the balloon fiesta.

"Of course, it was busy," said Daniel Razatos of the Plaza Cafe. "It's a fairly significant boost every year, a big boon for us. People want to see the historical side of New Mexico" and they come to Santa Fe.

As a result of that interest, which is concentrated on Santa Fe's historic Plaza, "the line is out the door" of his popular restaurant, Razatos said.

At the Burrito Company, "our business was about the same as last year," said co-owner Eleanor Castro. "There wasn't much difference, but the numbers have been holding on."
Part of the reason things were not quite as busy as they could have been is that there seem to have been fewer balloons this year than last, Castro said. "On top of that, we're in a recession."

The Shed, another long-time downtown eatery, had a big 1:30 p.m. rush the other day, said Eric Wulc, a restaurant manager. "We were just busy in general this week. But it's hard to say if all the people are from Albuquerque or not."

Santa Fe's hotels and motels didn't seem to benefit as much from balloon fiesta visitors, who apparently were more likely to stay in Albuquerque rather than Santa Fe because hotel rooms are cheaper there.

"We had a couple of them stay with us," said Sanjay Bhakta, owner/manager of Luxury Inn on Cerrillos Road. "But there weren't as many as there used to be. Albuquerque has a lot of rooms to fill. I would also say it's the economy."

At America's Best Value Lamplighter Inn, also on Cerrillos, "we don't have very many guests this year" from the balloon fiesta, a front desk clerk said.

According to the Rocky Mountain Lodging Report, the average daily room rate for Santa Fe last October was $133.81, compared to $105.72 for Albuquerque in the same month. This October's rates won't be available until late November.

Contact Bob Quick at 986-3011 or bobquick@sfnewmexican.com.