Hanover business owners are anticipating a strong turnout for Homecoming despite the economic downturn. Local store owners and managers say they have been putting in extra orders, keeping on top of staff and stocking up on supplies in preparation for the weekend.
While the national economy may be struggling, the safety "bubble" that seems to surround Hanover's local economy has remained intact, Nigel Leeming, owner of Murphy's On the Green restaurant, said in an interview with The Dartmouth.
"[The economic downturn] is not really affecting us students come from all over to visit Dartmouth, so it really depends on the economies in their respective home states," Paul Bouchard, owner of The Dartmouth Co-op, said.
Hanover is a "pocket" of job security within the weakened national economy, according to Danny Young, manager of Molly's Restaurant and Bar. Hanover business owners look forward to the return of "old friends" to campus for Homecoming weekend, including crowds of alumni, students and the families of athletes, Young said.
"You know, we roll with the punches every year," Eddie Begosian, manager of Everything But Anchovies, said. "Homecoming weekend is always good for business. It's a great time to catch up with old, returning customers and to reminisce on old times."
Hanover store owners said their businesses also see increased traffic this time of year as a result of the changing foliage and so-called "leaf peepers" who visit the area to take in the fall scenery.
"October brings with it the peak of foliage season, football games, a full student body and waves of foreign tourists," Thomas Guerra, owner of the Dirt Cowboy Cafe, said. "Not to mention Homecoming weekend."
Guerra estimated that business at the Dirt Cowboy tends to increase 20 percent over Homecoming weekend. Murphy's and the Canoe Club have also prepared for an approximately 20- to 25-percent increase in business.
"It's hard to call how business this Homecoming weekend is going to be because we're right in the middle of foliage, and this year we've had a lot of traffic," Sara Gordon, manager and financial officer of the Canoe Club, said. "Right now our numbers are pretty close to last year."
Restaurants see much more business on Homecoming weekend than on Green Key or Winter Carnival, with customer numbers second only to graduation, Young said.
"We usually see business build over the week leading up to Homecoming," he said.
A more recent addition to the Hanover dining scene Salubre Trattoria, which recently opened in the space formerly occupied by Carpaccio Ristorante Italiano on Lebanon Street also anticipates a strong turnout on Homecoming weekend despite the poor state of the economy, according to general manager Alison Lee.
"We are unique in that, as a new business, we are still going through the honeymoon phase,'" Lee said. "Since opening on Aug. 20, we have been getting busier and busier, and we're anticipating a busy weekend."
Some retail store owners in Hanover said they have noticed a difference in business this year.
"Stores have definitely been affected [by the economic downturn]," Mark Schouten, owner of Main Street Kitchens, said. "Homecoming weekend will be helpful, but we expect business to be down from what it has been in years past."
Several store owners said they are more worried about inclement weather, seasonal illnesses and a lack of parking in town than the national economy.
"The Nazism of parking in this town is astronomical," Gordon said. "But really, it's the working person who struggles with the parking, not so much the people visiting."
Most Hanover business owners take the brief grumblings of incoming customers as an inevitable part of the busy weekend.
"Parking has never really been an issue," Begosian said. "We've been dealing with the same issues with parking for the past 30 years."
Instead, business owners are preparing their shops for the return of old friends, alumni and enthusiastic students.
"The only thing that could affect us now is the flu," Guerra said.
