Western Courier

Issue date: 6/18/08 Section: News

Media Credit: File Photo Rock N Records is one of he many Macomb businesses affected by the students' departure for summer.

Summer has arrived in Macomb, which means sweltering heat, a shorter commute across town and a decline in the student population. As the few remaining students from the Spring semester pack up and finish their leases and the new crop of students arrive for summer sessions, an age old economic theory can be seen at work.

That theory is supply and demand. Rock N Records owner Cathy Gall explained that while the drop of in student numbers does affect business, it is also a time to catch up and get ready for the fall.

"(You) have to be realistic and plan for it," she said. "You have to remember it is a nine-month business."

Gall said there is a decline in business between the first week of June and the second week of August, at which point students return to fulfill their lease agreements and decorate their rooms.

Kristy Dorethy, whose parents own Bronze It Tanning in Macomb, said Bronze It closes their business on Adams Street for the summer due to the decrease in student traffic.

Gall and Dorethy both expressed that the business atmosphere in Macomb becomes much more laid back with the departure of the student population. The clientele shifts from mostly student to predominantly local patrons over the summer. That local support becomes indispensible to area businesses, and while festivals and other summertime events do provide a spike in sales, nothing comes close to the boom provided by the influx of students each fall.

"(It is) an odd combination of disappointment and happiness," Gall said.

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