Town Table and Taphouse served their last meals and poured their last beers at the end of this summer, leaving many to question the viability of doing business in downtown Elon at a time when the area’s most consistent customers — Elon University students — leave campus deserted.
But many businesses are still going strong, supported in part from May to late August by a robust community customer base.
“We’re just busy all the time, even in the summer months,” said Sandie Broom, a manager at The Root Trackside. “We don’t just rely on students, which certainly helps us out during the summer. We have a healthy community fan base.”
Still, The Root has changed some of its business practices to stay ahead in the competitive restaurant industry. In recent years, management has offered online ordering, and the restaurant promotes itself heavily on social media.
“We interact a lot with our customers, especially our college-aged customers, through Facebook and other online sources,” Broom said.
Local Yogurt reduces its hours during the summer because the demand falls significantly when students leave campus, according to senior Lear Haninovich, a manager there.
“It’s definitely much slower in the summer,” Haninovich said. “Our customers are primarily students who are just not around, though we definitely have our share of locals who come in and order their usual.”
Wednesdays are “College Day” for Local Yogurt, where students with a university ID receive $1 off their order.
“College Day has helped us remain competitive as a local business,” Haninovich said. “Students have come out strongly in support of it.”
All that JAS, a Greek apparel provider, struggles to do much business locally in the summer, when the majority of its customer base leaves.
“You have to survive the summer here,” said Michaelle Graybeal, owner of All that JAS. “It’s always been a struggle for local business at Elon, and it always will be. Businesses have to adapt with most of their customer base gone, or else die.”
Instead of focusing on its local customer base during the summer months, All that JAS instead turns to other North Carolina schools like Duke University and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. The business deals directly with Greek organizations on other college campuses, vying for bulk order on recruitment and rush shirts for the following fall.
“Without these bulk orders, we wouldn’t survive the summer months,” Graybeal said. “It’s about adapting. It’s about changing your business strategy to the times.”
Because most of All that JAS’ employees are students, the business typically cuts back on staff during the summer months, as well.
As a local business owner, Graybeal said she isn’t particularly concerned Taphouse and Town Table closed, but she does question why they did.
“I do think it makes the town look bad to have them sit there vacant,” Graybeal said. “There shouldn’t be a problem with restaurants being there, except you have to learn to manage it during the summer.”
Mynt, a women’s clothing boutique next to The Root, says its clientele is about half Elon students and half community patrons.
“I’m personally not concerned with Taphouse and Town Table closing,” manager Victoria Touloupas said. “We’re in a bit of a different situation with what we sell here, and we don’t really see much of a dip during the summer months.”
Mynt claims a consistent community fan base that keeps it afloat during the summer. Whitney Sander, owner of the boutique, said it’s important to note that unlike Town Table, her business space is not leased through Elon University.
“I’m personally not convinced that their closings have much to do with us,” Sander said. “If [Town Table] was an independently owned property, I might be more concerned. Going through the university to operate your business changes things.”