Summer business blues

As summer in Bloomington nears, businesses prepare themselves for a different focus and a different crowd. \nSales at the Pizza Express campus store drop about 80 percent when students leave for summer, said Brian Hernandez, manager at Pizza Express’s west-side store. \n“We have come to appreciate the seasonality of our business,” said Jeff Mease, CEO and founder of One World Enterprises, which owns Pizza Express. \nA large fraction of the Bloomington population is students, and not all students stay in Bloomington over the summer. Businesses that rely on students for income have to adjust the way they operate to maximize profits during this time.\nIn 2005, the U.S. Census Bureau reported a permanent population of 55,406 in Bloomington. The total current number of IU students is 38,247, according to the IU Factbook. Students make up about 41 percent of the total population of Bloomington, permanent and nonpermanent, both currently and in accordance with the 2005 data. Though not all students leave during the summer, these numbers reflect only those who are enrolled for the spring and fall semesters. \nOne World Enterprises is fortunate because it has been able to develop a good foothold and expand throughout Bloomington, Mease said. But summer is toughest on the businesses that are student-focused, such as college bars and retail stores.\nBloomington residents often opt not to battle with the college crowds on 10th Street, but in the summer, they go to restaurants such as Lennie’s, said Sarah Chic, marketing director for One World Enterprises. One World Enterprises is the parent company for Pizza Express, Lennie’s, Bloomington Brewing Company and One World Commissary.\nThe key for Bloomington businesses is advertising, Mease said. Publicity events in the summer cater to a much different crowd than they do during the year. For instance, there are various sport camps that come through IU, which are helpful for local businesses. \nThe Taste of Bloomington is a major summer event for Bloomington restaurants and it allows them to get involved with the whole city, Bluebird owner Dave Kubiak said. The event draws 30 or more restaurants and takes place near the government offices downtown. It attracts college students, locals and people who make the trip for this special event, he said. \nThe Bluebird plans to sponsor five bands this year on June 23 at the Taste of Bloomington. Among other events this summer, Kubiak plans to continue with the Bluebird’s usual events such as Hairbanger’s Ball but also hopes to draw in an older crowd by sponsoring different types of music that would appeal to them. \n“We want Walnut to be the place to be this summer,” Kubiak said. \nThe Bluebird is different than some of the other nightclubs because there is live music every night, Kubiak said. \n“There are a lot of national acts touring over the summer, and we want some of the big-name bands to stop here,” Kubiak said. \nSome other businesses in Bloomington may not have it as easy as the Bluebird does. A lot of new stores, especially those on campus that cater to students face major changes.\nDuring the school year, the campus Pizza Express store has seven or eight pizza delivery drivers and five people working inside every night, Hernandez said. But during the summer months, only one person is inside and there are two drivers.\nThe campus store feels the most dynamic effects of the population change. However, the other two branches also face large drops in sales. \nLast Friday, the Pizza Express campus store sold approximately 500 pizzas, Hernandez said. Because students are the primary buyers at the campus branch, that specific branch sells hardly any pizzas during the summer. Hernandez said the campus store loses more than half of its sales on average during the summer months. \nAnother factor that comes into play within the Bloomington business community is that there are so many small merchants that can’t survive in general, Mease said. Everyone gets exposed to a media consumer market, he said. \nIn the Midwest, people buy the same product because it becomes habitual, Mease said. On the East Coast, specifically in New York, consumers are looking for new trends instead, he said. This makes it difficult to start a new business in a Midwestern community. \n“Cash flow management is essential, especially through the summer months,” Mease said. \nBusinesses throughout town find the community’s local presence in the summer to be key to survival, Mease said. Businesses like Pizza Express use shorten their hours during the summer, but they cannot shorten them too much. The ability to remain consistent throughout the summer is a necessity for any business wanting to make it through, Mease said. \nDuring the school year, businesses focus their advertising on students, but they find it necessary to advertise to the entire Bloomington community during the summer, said Chic, marketing director for One World Enterprises. Advertisers must try new things in the summer to stay afloat.\n“We’ve got to get our hands dirty to survive,” Chic said.