State College businesses forced to reduce hours during spring break
Penn State’s spring break is typically a time when most students travel or go back home for the week. For the last two years, due to coronavirus travel restrictions, it was more common for students to stay in State College.
But now that students will be traveling again, local businesses need to consider a strategy for how they will operate during a slower time.
The beginning of the coronavirus pandemic forced many businesses in State College and around the world to close. But since then, the remaining shops have learned how to adapt to the reduced sales.
The closure that will perhaps have the most profound effect on Penn State students will be the dining halls closing down. If any students with a meal plan wish to utilize their discount during the week, they will be out of luck.
The university always closes for breaks, but students who rely on these services will be forced to look elsewhere for the time being. Aside from food, certain coffee shops, bars and other services will not be available, or have reduced hours.
Elixr Coffee Roasters, located at 123 W. Beaver Ave. where Saint’s Café used to operate, plans to reduce its hours to those of the family owned shop that came before it.
The shop, which offers free Wi-Fi and seating for patrons, has been bustling with young customers since it first replaced the family owned shop in January. Before the new owners took over, the hours of the shop were 7 a.m. to 2 p.m.
The new owners now keep Elixr open until 6 p.m.
However, to accommodate spring break, Elixr will introduce new “abridged hours” from Sunday until Saturday that will mimic the hours Saint’s used to stay open, according to barista Will Rule.
Rule said he hopes the reduced hours will allow the shop to stay busy despite less total sales.
Although Elixr tends to draw a “bigger, younger audience” than Saint’s, specialty coffee shops tend to cater more towards “townies and professors,” Rule said.
“We just expect it to be locals over break,” Rule said.
Five out of eight total baristas will continue to work over the week, while the other three go on vacation or return home.
Growing Tree Toys will revert to a similar schedule over spring break, according to employee and student Sarah Gingrich.
Despite being a toy store, the shop — which also has an online store — mostly serves Penn State students, Gingrich (junior-human development and family studies) said.
But the local elementary school will also have a break at the same time as the university, which will affect the store.
“My boss and her kids have off from break,” Gingrich said, “so she has to watch her.”
Gingrich, who is an RA on campus, has no choice but to take a vacation during the break due to the campus closing.
Penn State student David Murphy, who works at the school’s tennis center, said the facility will also have reduced hours and staff.
Since most of the employees are students and it is a university run facility, they will have no choice other than to give them all an unpaid vacation, Murphy (junior-engineering) said.
Only about “30% of the staff are townies,” according to Murphy.
The center will have to stop lessons and clinics, because they are all taught by students. The center will remain open for shortened hours with limited staff.
Murphy said the facility is constantly busy during the normal school year.
“People come in to play all the time,” Murphy said. “We have group clinics going on all the time.”
The tennis center will only have a staff of about four to five people over spring break, as opposed to the 25 to 30 that maintain the building during normal hours, according to Murphy.
Some businesses that have a majority student body customer base will have no choice but to close completely during the break.
According to manager and bartender of the Shandygaff Saloon Mitchel Caffyn, the student-dominated bar will close completely starting March 4, and will reopen March 15.
Depending on how slow it is the week leading up to break, Caffyn said the bar may even close on Friday after he “sees what business is like.”
It is common for the bar to close when campus closes. Caffyn said the close was “completely expected,” and will not hurt the business.
Whether students are living it up in Cancun or just relaxing at home, there is a lot more for business owners to consider when approaching a Penn State break.
