Harsh weather conditions have already caused Ohio University to cancel classes on two occasions this semester, but the cold temperatures and icy weather have had more far-reaching effects as well.
Local coffee shops and other Uptown businesses have suffered a dent in sales during the past two weeks as students have been spending less time outdoors.
Employees at Court Street Coffee, 67 S. Court St., say that most patrons are OU students and professors, and they often notice a considerable drop in sales whenever classes are canceled, manager Natalie Hunter said.
“Our business slowed down a lot because I think people were going straight to their homes or their works and back,” Hunter said.
She reported that, during the past two closures of OU’s Athens campus, the customer sales dropped about 75 percent.
But even when classes were in session, Hunter said that she has noticed much less patronage on colder days.
Court Street Coffee has tried to engage customers through social media, such as encouraging them on Twitter to come out and warm up with a cup of coffee, or by posting pictures on Instagram highlighting their visits to the shop.
Nate Hayes, the general manager at Perks Coffee & Whit’s Frozen Custard, 49 S. Court St., said sales have slowly begun to rise to normal levels.
“In the course of all the snow we’ve had lately, we were finding that people are maybe getting used to it or maybe just are getting tired of staying in their dorms,” he said. “There’s definitely a lot more foot traffic and sales are actually increasing.”
Employees at Bagel Street Deli, 27 S. Court St., have noticed an overall drop in sales but an increase in delivery orders.
“Some nights we won’t have more than two deliveries all night,” said Anna Chambers, who works at the deli five nights a week. “On the day that OU closed, our delivery guy was out constantly.”
Brenen’s Coffee Café, 38 S. Court St., faced similar problems.
Co-owner Josh Thomas said that there is usually a noticeable trend regarding sales and cold weather.
“It can even be a little colder if the sun’s out,” Thomas said. “If the sun’s out, people are going to come out.”
Chris Pyle, owner of Donkey Coffee & Espresso, 17 1/2 W. Washington St., said that within the past week he has had several loyal customers personally apologize to him for not being able to make their usual trip to the café.
“It’s a destination place,” he said. “If you’re on campus, it can be hard to walk all the way here in the cold.”
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