Business at area retail stores and restaurants might be a bit lighter during this week's spring break, but Miriam and James Rieck are busier than normal.

Their pet boarding service, BYD Ranch & Kennel, is booked solid.

"During a typical week, I usually run at 50 percent occupancy," Miriam Rieck said. "Right now, we're at 100 percent."

Rieck said the exodus of students, educators and parents from town brought a flurry of bookings for the kennel, which spans

45 acres near Tabor Road and Texas 21. Average stays, she said, range from four to 10 days.

The weeklong break, which takes scores of Aggies, Blinn College students, parents, school-aged children and educators out of town at the same time each year, is a mixed bag for businesses.

John Happ, director of Easterwood Airport, said airport administrators look forward to spring break and student travel, in particular, each year.

A Continental Airlines representative, who declined to identify himself, said the airline had seen a 60 percent increase in passengers for the week. The airline runs about eight flights per day, he said.

College Station's It's a Grind coffeehouse is experiencing a lull this week.

"But I think some of the permanent residents and especially people who are regular customers will tend to come in more during spring break," owner Phil Jordan said. "They don't have to fight for a place to sit."

Jordan said the coffeehouse has a broad mix of customers. Most local residents arrive in the morning and in the early to mid-evening hours, he said, while students make up the majority of the franchise's afternoon and late-night crowd.

Post Oak Mall is busier than usual this week, according to Joan Ghani, its marketing director.

"The mall's packed," she said. "I think what happens is that people, like those living in some of the outlying areas, come into town and bring their children."

Scott & White sees about a 30 percent decline in patient visits during spring break, said Lyssa Hamilton, the College Station clinic's marketing director. While the clinic hasn't cut back on staffing for the week, she said, it does employ some staff members on an as-needed basis and can run with fewer people during slower periods.

The College Station Police Department has also seen a drop in activity. But police are still on duty in force, said Lt. Mark Langwell. "We always maintain minimum staffing, no matter what time of year," he said.

The department, Langwell said, typically has 12 officers and two supervisors working 12-hour shifts. However, the department does staff some shifts with only six officers, he said.

And some local businesses with college-aged employees are short on staff this week.

Brian Pendergraff, owner of Monograms & More in College Station, said four of his 20 employees are gone for spring break, and business at the screen printing and embroidery company is slower than usual.

"We definitely don't have the traffic we normally do," he said. "We know that this time is always going to be slow."

Pendergraff said much of Monogram & More's business is driven by student groups and activities. The loss of his student employees for the week has not affected production, he said.

• Holli L. Estridge's e-mail address is holli.estridge@theeagle.com.

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