Recordpub.com - 23,000 potential customers in Kent

By Matt Fredmonsky

Record-Courier staff writer

At the end of summer, "Welcome Back KSU Students" is a familiar statement plastered in storefront windows and on business marquees throughout Kent.

Nine months of the year, about 23,000 men and women of the age group most sought after by major marketers descend upon the city with cash, debit cards and FLASHcards in hand.

Dan Smith, executive director of the Kent Area Chamber of Commerce, said downtown retailers, area restaurants and other ancillary businesses such as coffee shops benefit from the influx of new, potential customers each school year.

"I would hate to think what our economy would be without the university and its 23,000 students and 3,000 employees," he said.

The Kent Visitors Bureau advertises on campus and in the college newspaper. The welcome organization maintains a physical presence on the first day of fall classes and at university festivals and events throughout the year -- all concentrated efforts to make students aware of the local products and services available.

Nearly half of Kent's labor force holds occupations that benefit greatly from student spending. According to a study conducted by the Buxton Company, a Texas-based retail specialist firm, 47 percent of the city's workforce is employed either in sales or service positions.

Local businesses are working with the university to attract students by accepting FLASHcard, the university's debit-style credit card. The card is accepted at 31 off-campus locations.

Through these and other efforts, a variety of local businesses benefit from student spending.

Sandy Brothers has been styling hair at Cuttin' Loose on the corner of North Willow and East Main streets for 23 years.

Brothers believes her business would decrease dramatically if she was not located in a college town.

"I think it would be terrible, to be honest," she said. "I depend on the university a lot."

Brothers started mid-day Sunday hours two weeks ago because students are often less motivated to wake early on a weekend, she said. She uses Aveda's environmentally friendly hair products and employs a full-time massage therapist to try and attract members of the student population centered about a block away from her business.

Across the street, one of the city's bakers is making similar efforts.

Carey James, at Stahl's Bakery, said generally each year her sales increase between the second week of September and first week of October.

"It's never specifically within the first day," she said.

James' student customers may spend less per purchase than other customers, but she has a higher volume of sales from student patrons.

James has also received services in return from some student customers. Her black squirrel T-shirts, one of the bakery's biggest marketing avenues, were created by a KSU student. Last semester, two undergraduates crafted a marketing plan for the business and provided everything but the budget.

But it's the intangibles James said make the biggest impact on the city.

"They're more energetic and friendly," she said.

Somewhat removed from campus, Sunsations tanning salon on South Water Street benefits not only from student spending but from the student work force as well. The salon employs 10 people -- all but three of whom are KSU students.

A manager at the salon said the majority of her customers are college students.

"When the students are in, my business triples," she said. "Business is really slow when the students are gone."

Even a large-scale retailer is beginning to cater to the university population. The Wal-Mart between Ravenna and Franklin townships greeted students with KSU merchandise at the start of this school year, Smith said.

He said the overall presence of the university creates a livelier atmosphere, which can benefit shops and businesses.

"There is a complete lack of vibrancy in the summer season," Smith said.

This story is part four in a four-part series: Impacting Where They Live; KSU students integrate into the city.