Tuesday, April 14, 2009
As a Midwestern college town, Lawrence is less vulnerable to the economic crisis than most cities, but the recession is still taking its toll. Many downtown businesses are suffering, and it’s up to students to make sure their favorite local shops and restaurants survive these tough times.
David Lewis, owner of Milton’s Café, is nervous about the economy.
“It’s getting really hard to pay your employees a fair wage and be able to give your customers a good value,” he said. “It’s really difficult to find that balance and try to be profitable when you’re trying to be fair to your customers and your employees.”
Though Lewis said he though the turbulent economy was affecting Lawrence, he said he hadn’t seen a major change at Milton’s. Lewis said he hadn’t made any wage cuts or altered product prices this year. Lewis explained his main response to the crisis:
“In light of the economic downturn, the main thing we’ve done is to understand the environment we’re in and really make sure that all our products are good, and that we are giving people good service. We’ve just really stepped it up a lot.”
Lewis said he thought Milton’s had been able to maintain its normal customer base during the past few months and did not expect much change in the near future.
Scott Ozier, manager of Jock’s Nitch, said he that hadn’t noticed a significant decline in sales, either, but that he had noticed a few changes.
“It seems like right now, people are more hesitant to buy luxury things,” he said. “They’re still buying the things they need, as far as uniforms and cleats for their kids. As far as spending money on things like high-end shoes, there’s not quite as much as last year.”
Ozier said there hadn’t been any wage cuts made at Jock’s Nitch, but there had been an increase in product sales to be more competitive.
Milton’s and Jock’s Nitch are locally owned-and-operated businesses that have thrived in Lawrence for more than a decade. Though the economic downturn is definitely not helping Lawrence’s economy, it seems that the community is doing better in comparison to other places across America.
According to Donna Ginther, assistant professor of economics, this is partly because Lawrence is a college town.
“KU is the largest employer in Lawrence,” she said. “As the University goes, so does the community. As long as employment at the University is stable, things in Lawrence should stay stable.”
Ginther cited the most recent stimulus package as a key determiner of how the University and Lawrence would be affected by the recession. She said the budget cuts the package included were not as large as the University anticipated — good news for the community.
Ginther went on to say that during recessions, college towns tend to be less affected than other communities. Students tend to come from upper middle class families and tend to spend more money than older people.
Lincoln, Neb., sophomores Hanson Perry and Mike Sands said they hadn’t changed their spending habits since the crisis hit.
The University also provides a stable income for its large amount of employees, which allows for more consistent consumption.
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Editorial: Downtown businesses need student support
Lawrence is lucky to have the downtown that it does, and even more lucky to have Milton's! Anyone who has never been to Milton's should go asap! Breakfast or lunch, you can't go wrong!
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