Southeast Missouri State University student publication

How Cape is affected by the return of students

Thursday, August 15, 2019
A look down Broadway as cars drive around the corner of Main and Broadway in downtown Cape Girardeau Saturday, Aug. 10.
Photo by Jelani Days

When school lets out for summer break, campus empties and becomes a ghost town as Southeast students leave Cape Girardeau. But what do they leave behind? Businesses, churches, law enforcement and even locals notice the difference when Southeast students go home. Students have a bigger impact on the city than it may seem, and as thousands return to Cape for the fall semester, adjustments are being made all over the city.

Nightlife

It’s no secret students like to go out and have a good time. Most bars downtown see a sizeable increase in business when students return in the fall.

Catherine Thompson, owner of the popular downtown bar The Library, said she gets a bump in business when students come back to town.

“[We get] probably about a 25% increase because of [students] 21 and above,” Thompson said. “With maybe 6,000 students of age returning [to Cape Girardeau], we get a buck during the season.”

Thompson said it’s common for bars to hire additional help when students return. She said The Library usually hires three additional bartenders and two additional bouncers.

Other bars notice an even bigger increase in business.

“I think our business pretty much runs on Southeast students, to be honest,” Tahia Aziz, manager of The Hangout, said. “I think more than 60% of our business is students.”

An increase in business makes for more memories, according to Aziz.

“I just love college kids because there’s so, so much energy and so much fun. They’re so full of life,” Aziz said. “Whenever I’m 50, I’ll have reasons to laugh about or tell my grandkids stuff that happens here — stories that will stay with me forever.”

Cape has more than a dozen bars — there are plenty of options for students to choose from.

Restaurants

Restaurants around Cape Girardeau — especially those close to campus — get an uptick in traffic as well, including student-favorites like Mexican restaurants or pizza places.

An increase in business means employers are typically looking for additional help. General Manager of Burritoville Paige Garner said she usually adds three or four part-time workers to her staff.

“When the kids come back, we tend to see more business during our slow times,” Garner said.

Imo’s Pizza has been a popular choice for Southeast students, even with it changing locations during the Spring semester. And with the returning students and freshmen abound, an increase in pizza lovers is inevitable. According to David Patterson, the manager of Cape’s Imo’s Pizza franchise, the pizzeria sees about a 20 to 30% spike in business when students return.

Whether it be downtown or across town, there are plenty of off-campus dining options for the diverse palette of the college student.

Retail

Downtown Cape retail varies widely, but many stores cater to a younger, college-aged crowd.

Hypnotics Smoke Shop sells a variety of tobacco and nicotine products and is a short walk from campus, making it a popular store for students.

“[Students returning] affects our sales tremendously,” sales associate at Hypnotics Smoke Shop Kiley Brown said. “I think the majority of our sales are from SEMO students. We do get a few from the older crowd, but I will probably say 70% of our sales come from students.”

Corner Grocery Store owner Mary Gentry said store owners notice when students leave in May and return in August.

“Oh, it makes a huge difference,” Gentry said. “When the students are gone, the whole community knows they’re gone. We really miss them when they’re gone, and when they come back we get so excited, because we know we’re going to do more business.”

Gentry said her store sees about 30% more business during the school year than in the summers.

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