How are Purdue students impacting local businesses?

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. (WFLI) - Purdue students are returning to campus after a three week break for the holidays.

"Our business drops off about 35 percent when the students aren't around, so we always look forward for them to come back from winter break," Follett's Purdue Bookstore Director Jeff Gulick said.

Gulick said when the students go home his store even cuts its hours.

"We do scale back our hours when the students are gone, but then we expand the hours for back to school and we're open late next week as they all come back to get their textbooks," Gulick said.

Bookstores and retail stores aren't the only ones feeling it, restaurants are feeling the lull of winter break too.

"Winter break is probably our slowest time of the year. A lot of people do leave town including the staff where summer break not as many go," Mad Mushroom Pizza owner Dave Sommers said.

When the students leave pizza sales see a drastic decline, according to Sommers.

"Compared to when they're back in school I'd say winter break is maybe a quarter to a third of the business we do during the fall and spring sessions," Sommers said.

With many students working at Mad Mushroom Sommers said it helps compensate for slower business.

"A lot of our staff are students as well so they go home anyway," Sommers said. "It allows us to manage our staff that way, but yes we definitely do employ less people during the breaks."

Both businesses agree that students are their key to success.
 
"Without Purdue, we're down in the heart of the village, without Purdue being right next to us we wouldn't be able to survive," Sommers said.

"The students are really the heart and soul of our business, so they drive our operations and we're so glad to have the students here," Gulick said.

Thankfully the wait is over with students returning to campus and classes starting Jan. 7.