A Sacramento-themed A's logo appears on the jumbotron at Sutter Health Park, on Wednesday, June 4, 2025. (Charles Russo/SFGATE)

Not many people seemed excited about the A's moving to Sacramento after abandoning Oakland. But if there was a group that seemed energized about the move, it was the Sacramento region's business community.

As the A's reach the halfway point of Year 1 of their three-year stay (and maybe more) before landing in Las Vegas, however, the team has been quite the mixed bag for Sacramento businesses hoping for a baseball boost.

One common theme has emerged, even from businesses that seem to be doing well: The A's aren't the main attraction bringing folks into the community. Instead, the bigger impact has come from fans heading to West Sacramento to support the visiting teams.

"It really depends on who's the opposing team. Sometimes, it feels like home games for them," Diego Mirazo told SFGATE earlier this month. Mirazo is a manager at La Terraza, a Mexican restaurant in the Old Sacramento neighborhood directly across the Tower Bridge from Sutter Health Park.

According to Mirazo, the vast majority of these customers are not visitors from out of state; they're Sacramento-area residents.

"A majority of the fans that are here are supporting the other teams," Mirazo told SFGATE. "They've already been fans before. I've talked to a couple. ‘Oh, I've been a fan for, you know, 15, 20 years, and now I get to see them right in my backyard, 40 minutes from the house,' instead of having to go to Oracle Park or driving down all the way to see the Dodgers."

Fans enter Sutter Health Park in West Sacramento to watch the A's play the Minnesota Twins on Wednesday, June 4, 2025. (Charles Russo/SFGATE)

Fans react to the A's scoring a run against the Minnesota Twins at Sutter Health Park in West Sacramento, Calif., on Wednesday, June 4, 2025. (Charles Russo/SFGATE)

An A's fan crosses the Tower Bridge en route to Sutter Health Park, on Wednesday, June 4, 2025. (Charles Russo/SFGATE)

A's mascot Stomper works the crowd at Sutter Health Park in West Sacramento, Calif., on Wednesday, June 4, 2025. (Charles Russo/SFGATE)

South of the ballpark at Drake's: The Barn, an outdoor dining and event space run by the Bay Area brewery, assistant general manager Bryson Fox described a similar dynamic.

"There are quite a few A's fans," Fox told SFGATE. "However, when the bigger teams like the Cubs came through, you definitely saw more saturation of Cubs fans than A's fans - which we're not complaining about."

It hasn't just been the Cubs, either. During a visit to Drake's: The Barn on June 4, the A's were facing the Twins, who certainly aren't one of MLB's biggest draws. But around two hours before first pitch, just nine people at Drake's were wearing A's gear - with double that number wearing gear for other MLB teams, including 14 for the Twins and one each for the Dodgers, Giants, Tigers and Diamondbacks.

It perfectly reflects how many Sacramentans have felt about the Athletics' refusal to embrace their city. But one spot has reaped major rewards out of that apathy from the team.

Sacramento Sports & Souvenirs is a sports apparel merchandise store in Old Sacramento, directly underneath La Terraza. Inside the store, there's a plethora of A's gear - and perhaps the largest single collection of Sacramento-specific Athletics apparel in the world.

Sacramento-branded A's gear is advertised at Pro Image Sports, in Old Sacramento, as seen on Wednesday, June 4, 2025. (Charles Russo/SFGATE)

Sacramento-branded A's gear is on display at Pro Image Sports, in Old Sacramento, as seen on Wednesday, June 4, 2025. (Charles Russo/SFGATE)

"We made these ourselves because there's hardly anything officially licensed A's-MLB with Sacramento on it," Anjie Branca, the manager at Sacramento Sports & Souvenirs, told SFGATE on June 4. "The people, Sacramentans, they wanted something with Sacramento on it, and we kept getting asked so much that we were like, OK, we're just gonna print them ourselves.'"

Branca said they started making T-shirts and hats with unofficial Sacramento A's branding in early 2025, selling shirts by Opening Day on March 31 and hats shortly thereafter. SFGATE saw dozens of fans wearing that gear at Sutter Health Park during the series against the Twins, including one stadium employee wearing the "Sacramento A's" hat with the Tower Bridge on it. Branca declined to say how much the store has spent on making its own A's gear but said it was "a lot" and that the store has already needed to reprint more, which wouldn't be happening without the team.

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"If it wasn't for the A's being here, retail is really slow. The economy is in flux. People aren't spending so much," Branca said. "But this is what I'm selling the most, with Sacramento on it."

While Branca isn't sure the Old Sacramento neighborhood is getting a boost, some of the bars and restaurants are trying to get the fan community in.

Across the street at Sean Finnegan's Pub, the bar has A's paraphernalia at several spots, including Corona-sponsored pennants criss-crossing above patrons' heads. At Amourath 1819, a bar inside the downtown Hyatt Regency, the restaurant has created a game day-specific happy hour menu and even dyed its burger buns green, according to A's reporter Jessica Kleinschmidt.

A's decorations hang from the ceiling inside Sean Finnegan's Pub in Old Sacramento, near Sutter Health Park, on Wednesday, June 4, 2025. (Charles Russo/SFGATE)

Many of the bars and restaurants adjusted their working schedules to match the rhythms of fans going to the games. Jordan Bell is part of the family that owns Frankie's Pizza in Old Sacramento and said they have scheduled more people before the games because they "get a rush" in that window. Mirazo said La Terraza has dealt with the same, seeing a 20%-25% increase in business during a 90-minute pregame window.

"We added a couple more employees whenever there is games, especially for those happy hour times," Mirazo said. "We started bringing people a couple hours earlier than what we normally would."

It's been similar over at Drake's, too. Because the A's and Sutter Health Park don't allow tailgating in their parking lot, Fox said it's been a big blessing for them, taking fans who want to drink before the game (and not pay ballpark prices) and essentially delivering them to The Barn.

But not everyone is feeling the love. Drake's: The Barn is directly south of the ballpark, just a few steps from the largest parking lot. On the opposite side of the stadium, though, it's a different story.

The Tree House Cafe is at the corner of Third and G streets, one block away from the northern corner of the Sutter Health Park lot. In interviews with multiple Sacramento television stations, Tree House Cafe owner Fro Davis has said the A's haven't helped his business anywhere close to what he expected.

An A's fan purchases a beverage at Sutter Health Park, on Wednesday, June 4, 2025. (Charles Russo/SFGATE)

Members of the A's stretch during warm-ups at Sutter Health Park, on Wednesday, June 4, 2025. (Charles Russo/SFGATE)

"Because of all of the exposure and all of the hype, we thought it would be standing room only," Davis told KTXL-TV. "We're getting a trickle of some customers."

Vanu Tu owns the Midway Bar and Grill, another business in the West Sacramento neighborhood north of the ballpark, and also told KTXL-TV that, despite being just four blocks from the ballpark on the north side, customers aren't coming to the restaurants in their area.

"We're trying to work together to see how we can let people know what's on the other side and let people know that, ‘Hey, there's this other side behind the ballpark that welcomes you guys to come in and have a good time,'" Tu told KTXL-TV.

It's not a surprise the economic impact isn't as widespread as, say, the impact the Giants have had in their San Francisco neighborhood since opening their ballpark in 2000. For one, playing in a minor league park means the capacity is far smaller than most MLB stadiums, and Sutter Health Park can hold only 14,014 fans. But the A's aren't even filling the park, with an underwhelming on-field product leading to the lowest average attendance in baseball at 9,722.

Alexa, left, and Alan of Galt, Calif., watch the A's play the Minnesota Twins at Sutter Health Park in Sacramento on Wednesday, June 4, 2025. (Charles Russo/SFGATE)

Anecdotally, the trickle-down impact from the tempered interest is clearly letting some business down, and it's something local officials are monitoring. According to KTXL-TV, the city of West Sacramento is planning to collect second-quarter fiscal data from its businesses in late July and measure it against the previous years to see at least some of the impact the A's have brought to the region. There likely will be some increase, though to what extent will be the ultimate question.

Still, it sure seems like any potential increase is less about the A's themselves and more about whom the A's have brought to town with them.

"You bring Major League Baseball to a city that hasn't had it before, and yeah, you're going to feel the impact of that," Fox said. "Whether that's for that team that's there or the visitors."

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