Locals drawn by shorter lines, lighter traffic and relative quietude hit the streets of College Station in greater numbers this week, many said.
"I love it when the students leave," said Wanda Justice, a Bryan resident who relished a Starbucks sparsely populated by "only adults."
She likes the students, but she also likes shaving about 15 minutes from her commute to her job on the western side of Texas A&M University.
When the students are away, the locals come out to play.
That's how some business owners explained their customer base during spring break, when sales are down because of fewer students in town. But, in some places, consolation comes from area residents.
"They enjoy the atmosphere," said Kenneth Blake, the general manager of the Dixie Chicken on University Drive.
He said locals, including people from outlying towns such as Snook and Caldwell, are more at ease during spring break. The slowdown in business is a welcome pace for him as well.
"It's a different crowd, a break from the everyday business," Blake said.
Steven Beale, assistant general manager of Abuelo's Mexican Food Embassy, said business appeared to be up this week, though he estimated that roughly 45 percent of the business's regular customers were students.
"The locals do like not waiting in lines when they come out," he said.
The city doesn't have sales tax figures broken down by week. But College Station has received more sales tax revenue in March than in February or April for the past three years.
In 2008, the city received about $1.7 million in March, compared with about $1.4 million in February and about $1.6 million in April.
"A potential factor could be that more locals get out during this week than they would other times," said Jeff Kersten, chief financial officer for College Station, explaining why the March sales-tax revenue may be higher.
Another theory is that students "stock up" and use services before spring break -- and then after -- so that there isn't really an overall monthly decrease.
College Station police said life was quieter during spring break. They receive fewer calls for service. But when spring break is over, they usually note an increase in the number of reported burglaries, Lt. Mark Langwell said.
The exact effect of students leaving during spring break is not known. Data from police, Texas A&M officials and the city are largely anecdotal.
But for John Raney, owner of Texas Aggieland Bookstore, it's been the same story for the past 40 years. Business at his shop, which sells textbooks and other merchandise, is generally dead during spring break.
It's his worst week of the year, he said, as a few workers stocked the shelves with inventory in a customer-less shop during the middle of the day this week. He estimated that students make up about 80 percent of his customer base.
"It's just part of business," he said. "You just accept that it's going to happen each year."
Raney, like many other business owners, said he used this time to catch up on tasks such as shampooing the carpets.
RSS
Mobile
Daily Emails
Twitter
Facebook
