Paso Robles -- Last year 420-thousand people attended the California Mid-State Fair. According to a state study done in 2010 the fair generated more than 52-million dollars. With a list of free concerts fair organizers expect another busy year and that means big business for the area.
Some local businesses, like the Boot Barn on Spring Street, say it's like having Christmas in July. The staff often stays late during the fair to accommodate all the customers. Assistant Manager Pam Teixeira says, "This time of year is definitely a money maker for us, it brings in a lot of revenue, I would say it's the icing on the cake."
Plaza Cleaners on Niblick is another local business that's booming right now with fair business. Elizabeth Contreras works there and says they have to bring in extra staff from their Atascadero location to handle all the extra orders. They do dozens of special order jeans daily. It's called "cowboy wet press," a process of pressing jeans while they are still wet with super heavy starch. Contreras says it's popular during the fair. She says the jeans are "so stiff like cardboard that they can stand up by themselves."
These businesses also benefit from other events at the fairgrounds through out the year, but the Mid-State Fair is the biggest.
