Student spending revealed

Makenzi Travis remembers the nights where she would stand outside the Bluebird, waiting for a cab to pick her up and take her back to her home on the north side.\n"I lived so far away," said Travis, a junior. "I was always calling a cab to take me back."\nBut this year she's not calling for a ride. She's living in The Kirkwood, a year-old downtown apartment complex, where she's only a few minutes away from her favorite bars.\n"One of the main attractions to downtown was the proximity to the bars," Travis said. "It's an easy drunk walk home."\nAnd according to a recent survey conducted by IU business students and the South Central Indiana Small Business Development Center, Travis's spending habits are along the same lines of the 480 students surveyed. The survey found that 35.4 percent of students spend most of their money downtown, with the bars as the most popular business.\nThe survey will be used to help businesses target the student population living downtown, who make up of 40 percent of the downtown population. \n"I believe we'll see a heavier concentration of spending in the downtown area in future years, as many more students move to the area," Bloomington Mayor Mark Kruzan said. "I expect that downtown businesses will adapt to the changing demographics and spending patterns created by the more than 1,000 IU students who moved into the city center."\nThe survey found that 45 percent of students chose to patronize businesses that are close to where they live or work, and students who live downtown go to the bars more frequently than non-downtown students. \n"When you break down the survey to see who is living downtown, two-thirds of students spend their money at the bars," said Ron Walker, Bloomington's economic development director. "I was surprised to see that level of spending. Downtown has more to offer than the bars."\nAnd even though Travis spends most of her weekends at the bars, she couldn't agree more.\n"There are a lot of things going on downtown, from festivals to protests to art exhibits. It seems like everything that's happening in Bloomington is downtown," Travis said. "There are people from all types of backgrounds -- students from all over the country, families and professors."\nThe survey also found that 80 percent of the students who lived downtown were satisfied with housing, versus the 68 percent of students residing elsewhere.\n"Location is the No. 1 reason to live downtown," said Jim Murphy, president of CFC, which owns The Kirkwood. "Along with the influx of people living downtown, there has also been growth in business. Downtown provides entertainment, cultural opportunities, restaurants and shopping."\nBut even with the wide variety of downtown activities, students are still drawn to the bar scene. Brian Kleber, regional director of the Small Business Development Center, said the bars attract students by offering drink specials and low prices. \n"I spend about $40 a week at the bars," Travis said. "But that's because I get mixed drinks instead of the 15 cent beer at the Bird on Wednesdays." \nKevin Burkett, manager of Nick's English Hut, estimates that the average 21-year-old spends about $50 a week at the bar. Imported beer, drink specials and pitchers tend to attract the college crowd, with the Long Island Iced Tea as the priciest beverage at $5.75. Men tend to buy more drinks than women. \nBear's Place manager Jim Reefer knows that college students can easily spend $30 a week, with the price of a Hairy Bear at $8. Student business is critical for Bear's, with a loss of one-third of its customers in the summer.\nMelissa Bursac, a freshman at Briscoe, spends about $70 a week at the bar.\n"I spend more money a week on alcohol than I do on food," Bursac said. "Is that bad?"\nReefer thinks it's important for students to put their drinking habits into perspective.\n"If that's the way you spend the rest of your life, that's a problem," Reefer said. "But in college, you prioritize, and drinking is more expensive than food. A shot is $4, and a hamburger is $2.50."\nEven though Bursac is from New York, she is satisfied with the amount of shops in Bloomington, along with 58 percent of the students who were also happy with retail stores. But she still misses New York bagels and pizza. She estimates she spends $50 a week on wraps, burgers, ice cream and pizza.\nTodd Riggins, manager at Tortilla Flat, estimates that students spend about $50 a week on dining out. The most popular dish is the chicken enchilada at $7.25 and $1 Taco Tuesday draws in a big crowd.\nJimmy John's manager Mary Belcher says there is no need to advertise their sandwich shop because they get their business through word-of-mouth. In fact, the survey found out that 84 percent of students learn about businesses through word-of-mouth, with newspaper advertising coming in second. \n"It's close to campus and geared toward college students, which makes up 95 percent of the business," Belcher said. \nSixty-six percent of the students surveyed buy fast food or pizza, and 45 percent dine at a casual restaurant at least once a week. Freshman Scott Lohmar spends about $15 a week on Chinese food and pizza deliveries.\n"I limit what I spend and watch my money," Lohmar said. "I stay on campus. I have limited means of transportation."\nBut even when students have a car, that doesn't mean that they are not watching their money. The students surveyed spend between $100 and $400 a month in Bloomington.\nJunior Kelly Quanstrom pays for all of her rent, groceries and shopping. She spends $20 a week on dining out and spends most of her money on the East side of town. According to the survey, 55 percent of the students spend their money on the East side, too. \nThe survey will give businesses a change or improve their services to students. It will also be distributed next year. \n"IU students are not only important, but they're essential to the local economy," Kruzan said. "They are great customers, and many of them work in our local employment sector. We appreciate the vital role they play in making Bloomington what it is."\n-- Contact staff writer Jessica Levco at jlevco@indiana.edu.