Influx of college students reaps benefits for local businesses

PHOTO: The Avid Reader has seen a positive influence on business since the return of UC Davis students.

By Grace Kishiyama, 

BlueDevilHUB.com Editor in Chief–

With the UC Davis campus back in full swing for the first time in over a year, local businesses are seeing an increase in business.

The Avid Reader has seen an increase of sales in their store.

“I’d say [there] would be a significant increase [in sales],” Avid Reader’s online sales specialist Elliot George said.

“[The increase in business] would be somewhere around the realm of 25% on average,” George said.

The Avid Reader has not made any changes to their business to adapt to the increase in college students in Davis, and did not make any changes to adapt the influx of students downtown during the UCD orientation.

“We didn’t change hours or services,” George said.

Similarly, Fluffy’s Donuts has seen a positive influence on business since the return of college students to Davis.

“We’re seeing more footwork in the afternoon which is helping out,” owner of Fluffy’s Donuts Sak Sopheak said.

“I noticed it was starting to pick up more [in drink sales],” Sopheak said.

While he says that business has picked up a bit, Fluffy’s does not depend on business solely from college students.

“We get more junior high students than college students in a month,” Sopheak said.

Sopheak also hired an additional part-time worker to help out with the uptick in customers.

Davis High senior Kathleen Doherty works at Mishka’s Cafe four times a week for three to five hour shifts and has also seen an increase in business.

“There has definitely been an increase in customers since college students came back. Especially on weekends we’re extremely busy,” Doherty said.