DOWNTOWN : Merchants Brace for Fiesta-Goers

Nearly 1 million people are expected to converge on Broadway this Sunday to attend the fourth annual L.A. Fiesta Broadway. But some merchants along the historic shopping district won’t be part of that throng.

Although organizers claim that the festival brings thousands of potential shoppers to the area, merchants say they do not derive much benefit from the event. Some even plan to close their shops that day.

“The people come to drink, not buy,” said Lori Beretz, owner of Central Sportswear, which has been on Broadway since 1975.

“It brings in a lot of people from the outside who don’t come back,” said Sy Zagha, who owns the Broadway Wearhouse clothing store.

The free daylong festival, which extends 36 city blocks, is intended to bring attention to the Broadway shopping district. The area is known for its eclectic collection of retail businesses, offices and movie palaces, as well as the ornate, historic architecture of the buildings.

Even if festival-goers do not buy much from Broadway merchants, the Fiesta still exposes the businesses to tens of thousands of people, said Estela Lopez, executive director of Miracle on Broadway, a nonprofit group that aims to revitalize Broadway.

“It helps to re-establish the street’s credibility and viability,” said Lopez, who came up with the idea of Fiesta Broadway. “The Fiesta won’t solve all the problems, but it sure doesn’t hurt.”

Still, shopkeepers such as Beretz, Zagha, and Francisco Aguirre say they are considering closing their stores that day.

Aguirre, vice president of Canada Shoe Mexicana Inc., a chain of shoe stores, said: “The Fiesta is not for business. It’s good for a party only.”

The party will run from noon to 6 p.m., with entertainment by more than 100 stars from throughout Latin America. The festival area encompasses Broadway and Hill and Spring streets from Temple to Olympic.

The Fiesta is traditionally held at the end of April and is billed as the nation’s largest Cinco de Mayo celebration. But last month, as the city awaited verdicts in the federal civil rights trial of the police officers accused of beating Rodney G. King, organizers postponed the event out of concern it would tax the already busy police department.