With several relocations and closings, the storefronts along Main Street are changing. The Indigo and Lemon Tree Gifts have moved onto Main Street, wood planks block the entrances to what once wereMetro Bakery and Cafe and 3 Guys Basement Barbeque and brown paper covers the windows of Indigo’s previous home.
The town has a tendency to cycle through businesses quickly, Hanover town manager Julia Griffin said. Given the high rents in town and with the seasonal population fluctuations caused by the College’s academic schedule, it can be difficult for businesses to sustain themselves, she said.
With the College’s decision to end the fall term before Thanksgiving, which took effect in the 2012-2013 academic year, it has been more difficult for businesses to bear the financial burdens of the seasonal influx and exodus of college students.
While several businesses, including 3 Guys, Eastman’s Pharmacy, College Supplies, Amadon, Rosey Jekes and Metro Cafe, have all closed their doors recently, Griffin said this is no reason for concern.
It is difficult, she said, for a small pharmacy like Eastman’s to compete with a large national corporation like CVS.
Not all closures were a matter of competition, she said. College Supplies closed because the owner decided to retire, and Amidon consolidated its Hanover location into its other stores.
Though the door of the 3 Guys location remains covered with plywood and a “closed” sign hangs on the Metro Cafe door, Griffin said both locations have secured new tenants, adding that a Thai restaurant will replace 3 Guys in its old location.
Indigo, a women’s clothing store that was located in the Nugget Square for two and a half years, bought and moved into Eastman’s Pharmacy’s former location.
Indigo owner Mia Vogt said she made the move because of the new location’s larger size, and she said she hopes the store will be able to attract more students and Hanover visitors with its closer proximity to campus. Vogt said it took some students a few years to discover Indigo at its previous location.
Griffin also stressed the importance for businesses to be close to campus. Melissa Locher Hass, owner of Lemon Tree Gifts, said that in her 10 days at the new location, she has already seen a significantly higher amount of student traffic in her store.
“I know a lot of students never make it around the corner,” she said, referring to Lemon Tree’s previous location.
The J List, a clothing store which has operated in Norwich for the past 12 years, will open in Indigo’s former location on May 1.
Currently, sheets of brown paper, taped to the windows, block passersby from seeing the store’s interior, but owner Jillian Butler and her staff are busy inside.
Yesterday they were in the midst of assembling shelves, talking to advertisers and arranging the stock in the storefront.
Butler said she is trying to use organic materials, and the shelves and displays incorporate locally collected birch wood and burlap.
The store will feature American-made and goods produced in a way that promotes sustainability. It will also feature clothing made by Yala Designs, whose vice president is Chelsea Morgan Epstein ’04.
Butler does not view the current number of boutique stores in Hanover as a cause for concern, but rather as a positive force for business in town.
“I’m a believer in ‘high water raises all boats,’” she said. “What’s nice is there are a lot of boutiques now, and there are a lot of independent businesses on Main Street, which is what I think main streets should be.”
Vogt shared similar sentiments about the addition of The J List to Hanover. She said she believes local businesses are “complementary, not competitive.”
Of eight students interviewed by The Dartmouth, seven said they did not shop for non-food items regularly in town, but all eight students said they eat sometimes or often in town.
Four students said they did not shop in town because of financial concerns — either due to limited spending budgets or because they thought the stores in town were overpriced.
The small selection of stores also determines whether students shop in town. Two male students, for example, said they do notgo to shops in town because they believe the shops target a female customer base.
“It seems like most of the commercial activity is tailored toward women,” James Esse ’16 said. “I think guys in general are more concerned with different food options.”
Three students expressed excitement at the opening of a Thai restaurant in place of 3 Guys, saying that it might offer a better option for Thai food in town.
Caroline Estill ’16, who has shopped at Indigo in the past, said she likes that Indigo’s new location is closer to campus.
She said she thinks The J List could be a good addition to Hanover and said she hopes it will stay in business.
“While it may seem like we’re seeing a lot of turnaround right now, we’re not,” Griffin said. “This is not particularly unusual for Hanover.”
She said that Hanover can be a challenging town for businesses, so it’s typical for turnover to occur “relatively quickly because a business either survives or it doesn’t.”
