Marcia Keegan, co-owner of Global Village, a local business on the West Bank, said that since North Country Co-op closed, business has been slow at her store.
“People would go to North Country first, then Depth of Field and then here,” Keegan said. “Now people don’t come as often.”
With the loss of North Country Co-op in October due to lack of customers and the temporary closures of the Hard Times Café and 400 Bar for remodeling last year, students may have a hard time finding certain local business to meet their needs.
Keegan said she won’t know the full extent of the lull until spring when it’s nicer outside and students walk more.
Another problem her business is experiencing currently is the lack of parking nearby, Keegan said.
“People want to park for free and it’s not possible here,” Keegan said. University parking ramps and lots cost $2.50 for the first hour, while meters cost 25 cents for 12 minutes.
Since some businesses are technically off the West Bank campus, it can be hard to reach customers.
Erdoan Akguc, owner of Mapps Coffee and Teas, a business Cedar-Riverside neighborhood, said the biggest problem it faces is getting customers in from the University.
“This neighborhood has the perception of not being the safest area,” he said.
While serious crimes – including robberies and assaults – decreased last month in Cedar-Riverside, the overall number of serious crimes was still the highest of any University-area neighborhood.
As a way to get students to walk from the University to the three-year-old coffee shop, Akguc said he advertises with departments on campus, passes out coupons for special deals and introduces himself to people on campus. He also offers free Wi-Fi Internet access to customers, he said.
When North Country closed, Akguc said he was concerned and that the neighborhood felt the loss.
“Local businesses are vital to any community,” he said.
After the co-op’s closure, Akguc said he was worried about a decline in the number of customers to the coffee shop, but that hasn’t been an issue.
Trying to get other businesses connected to the University is another challenge he said he faces.
Akguc said with Aramark being the University’s current food service provider, it has been difficult for the business to have more of a food presence.
“It’s like the big guy taking over the little guy,” he said.
Ed Benites, retail operations manager for Midwest Mountaineering, said the store’s biggest challenge currently is the lack of sufficient parking. The parking loss across the street has added to concerns, he said.
“When our lot is full it’s not a good thing,” Benites said. “It acts as a deterrent to customers.”
To battle the problems, he is working with a local parking committee.
While Midwest Mountaineering wasn’t affected by the closure of North Country, he said many employees were saddened by it because they were customers at the co-op.
Benites said crime and parking are just minor concerns and that the business is doing well.
“This store is more of a destination place and people come here for a specific reason,” he said.
