ESCONDIDO, Calif. (KGTV) - The North County finally has its own comedy club.
The Grand Comedy Club opened on Grand Avenue in Escondido late in 2019 and reports growing crowds over its first 10 weeks.
"I think people need a good laugh, nowadays. It's really great to see people leaving here happy and telling their friends, and their friends refer their friends. It's great to bring something back to my hometown that the locals really dig and have fun at," said owner Adam Wasserman.
Wasserman is a property manager who has performed as a part-time stand up comedian for 11 years. He began thinking of starting his own club, and wanted it to be in Escondido.
"You had to go downtown or La Jolla to go to shows. It's a long way to go and and parking and everything. I always thought 'Why was there never a club here in North County?'" Wasserman said.
The headliners are typically brought in from Los Angeles, while many of the supporting acts are comedians from San Diego. Wasserman says they're seeing ticket sales from across North County.
"We have several nice restaurants, but after you have dinner, that's it. There's nowhere to go," said Escondido resident Jacqueline Lawhorn. "At least now you can come here and enjoy a night of comedy."
The opening of the Grand Comedy Club is just the latest step in Escondido's attempt to revitalize its downtown area and make it into more of destination spot. The hope is to give locals an option to spend their money closer to home, and to draw people from neighboring cities into Escondido businesses.
"You'd have to go to La Jolla or Orange County or whatever," said attendee Gary Arant, who has already gone to several shows at the club. "This is so amazing we have something so local and it's really good."
