While most Penn State students will enjoy next week away from State College, local stores and restaurants are gearing up for a major decline in business.
"It's slow during break," said William Campbell, general manager of Ye Olde College Diner, 126 W. College Ave. "Pretty much, most go home."
For the businesses residing in the downtown area of State College, students account for the majority of customers. While students begin to leave the area this week, business owners will undoubtedly feel their absences during spring break.
Art Fine, who, with his wife, Nancy, co-owns People's Nation, 126 E. College Ave., Barefoot, 130 E. College Ave., and Metro, 320 E. College Ave., said that while 42,000 people leave the area, "maybe 100 stick around." Fine added that faculty customers may be leaving the area as well, decreasing customer turnout further.
To cope with the decrease in sales, many businesses have chosen to adjust their typical store hours.
"We will open early and close earlier," said Maurriah Arnold, assistant manager of the Penn State room of McLanahan's Student Store, 414 E. College Ave.
Fine also plans to shorten his stores' hours, most likely closing at 6 p.m. instead of 8 p.m. on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday and staying open until 8 p.m. on Thursday when students begin to return.
While shorter hours and fewer customers may mean less work to some businesses, some business owners in State College plan to use the time to make changes and prepare for the new season.
"It's an opportunity to get ready for spring," said Fine, calling the time a "transition."
Fine said requests for spring merchandise typically begin in March and that the time is a "heavy delivery period." New items need to be tagged and shelved, while items such as winter boots are replaced with more seasonable sandals.
"We're not sitting around twiddling our thumbs," he said.
Others said their businesses will use the time to do some maintenance.
"It's our time to clean the little things that would get neglected," Arnold said of McLanahan's.
John Lindo, general manager of the Student Book Store 330 E. College Ave., said his store will make repairs and do inventory during spring break.
Though businesses do serve year-round State College residents and occasionally see camp groups during breaks, said Christian Ritchie, manager of the Waffle Shop, 364 E. College Ave., this spring may see a higher turnout than usual.
"The high school basketball championships is coming in," he said.
The 2008 Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association (PIAA), according to live.psu.edu, will be at Bryce Jordan Center on March 14 and 15, and will attract more people to the area when many university students have not yet returned.
While the break will still be quiet, "with basketball," said Fine, referring to the stores' shorter hours, "we'll reconsider."
Student customers are not the only people leaving the area, however. A number of these students also serve as employees in many downtown stores and restaurants. Still, many said that they are not worried about being understaffed. Aside from high school students who help during football weekends, other big weekend events and breaks, Arnold said some McLanahan's employees decide to stay.
"We have students who live out-of-state and decide to stay because it's too expensive to fly," she said.
For Student Bookstore employee Julia Weber, that is the case.
"I don't have money to go away," Weber (senior-human development and family studies) said, "so I'd rather make money."
Still, Weber said she knows how empty the store will be.
"There's going to be no one," she said. "It'll be dead."
