San Francisco 49ers fans will likely be forever grateful to Jim Harbaugh for coaching the franchise to its first Super Bowl appearance in 18 years this season.
South Valley businesses have reason to be appreciative, too.
For many of those businesses, it’s the busiest they’ve been in a while. For Bill Mifsud of Bill’s Bullpen in Hollister, he can’t keep 49er items on the shelves.
“We’ve been in business for 25 years. We’ve had some 49ers success and some Giants success,” he said. “It’s great to see so many people that you haven’t seen before. In terms of business-wise, it’s a win-win. So for me, it’s great. The store is doing well and obviously when they win, we win. It’s Christmas again in February.”
Several local bars and restaurants have Sunday parties planned for Super Bowl XLVII as the 49ers face the Baltimore Ravens. Kickoff in the so-called “Harbaugh Bowl,” which pits San Francisco head coach Jim Harbaugh against his brother, Baltimore head coach John Harbaugh, is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. Sunday.
“We’ve been here 14 years, and I’m hoping this is going to be the best Super Bowl ever, just because it is the 49ers,” said Lesley Benson, owner and manager of The Claddagh Irish Restaurant & Pub in Gilroy.
The Claddagh will open at 11:30 a.m. Sunday, with drink specials and a raffle among the festivities, Benson said. There is no cover charge.
“We’re anticipating a really big crowd,” she said. “If they want the best seats, it would be advisable to get here early.”
As of Tuesday afternoon, $25 tickets were still available for the Super Bowl party at Stubby’s Sports Bar & Grill in Gilroy.
Station 55 Bar & Grill in Gilroy will host a Super Bowl potluck at 3 p.m. Sunday, and the party will include drink specials and raffle prizes. There is no cover charge.
In Hollister, Cheap Seats Pub & Grub will be hosting its annual Super Bowl party that will include happy hour on all drinks and half-off appetizers. Throughout the game, the bar will also hold a raffle for prizes.
Expect the bar to be busy, owner Norma Rendon said.
“With the playoffs, it was really swamped,” she said. “And with the two brothers, we were really busy. I hope it does get crowded, and I hope that they win. It would be nice.”
At Johnny’s Bar and Grill, their “Super Bowl Bash” begins at noon Sunday. A potluck of appetizer and a meal will be provided once the game starts. Drinks will also be at happy-hour prices.
Even golfers can get in the action, as Ridgemark Golf and Country Club will be holding a Super Bowl golf tournament at 9 a.m. Sunday. The tournament’s $70 fee includes a golf cart, range tokens, two drinks and an entry into a prize fund. After the tournament at 2 p.m., the course will be holding a buffet for $7 per person. All beer is $3.
In Morgan Hill, Box Seat Sports Grill & Pub opens at 11 a.m. Sunday with no cover charge, and the restaurant anticipates a large crowd.
The game will be shown on five big-screen TVs and several smaller TVs, said Julie Bennett, a manager of Box Seat. Drink specials and a raffle also will be provided.
“Because it’s the 49ers, it’ll be packed,” Bennett said. “Their playoff games were packed in here.”
Rosy’s at the Beach Restaurant in Morgan Hill opens at 11 a.m. Sunday, and no corkage on wine will be charged during the game.
The business bonanza of the 49ers playing in the Super Bowl isn’t limited to bars and restaurants.
Rick Baynes, owner of Morgan Hill Sports Cards, said his business has experienced an uptick during the 49ers’ run.
“It always helps,” Baynes said when asked if Bay Area teams winning helps business. “It increases business quite a bit.”
Baynes said 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick’s rookie cards from the 2011 season, when he entered the league as an under-the-radar backup, have been in high demand among customers.
“I have had an increase in people wanting Kaepernick rookies. That’d be No. 1 as far as 49ers go,” Baynes said. “The defensive guys have become popular, Aldon Smith and Patrick Willis.”
For Mifsud, more than 90 percent of his football memorabilia sales are dedicated to the 49ers since the beginning of January.
“For the time being, a lot of people want to wear their colors,” he said. “We had a good run before the Atlanta game. But in two weeks before the Super Bowl, it’s only building.”
The interest is very similar to the Giants’ run in 2010, he said.
“That was off the charts,” Mifsud said. “The Niners, though, is like the Giants’ first because it’s been 18 years since the 49ers have been in the Super Bowl.”
He continued: “There are a lot of kids that have never seen them win a Super Bowl. So it’s like a whole new thing. It’s kind of neat, too, when you hear somebody say that when you realize it’s been 18 years since they’ve been in the Super Bowl.”
And it could be even busier if everything falls right Sunday, Mifsud said.
“It would be great if this was once every year,” he said.
