Mirror
The promise of warm weather and visiting alumni make Green Key weekend one of the most anticipated times of the year for local business owners, according to several members of the Hanover community interviewed by The Dartmouth.
Some of the biggest benefactors of Green Key weekend are local restaurants, such as Molly's Restaurant & Bar and Everything But Anchovies.
The eateries see a tremendous increase in sales during Green Key, largely due to the extra foot traffic that comes with the festivities, supervisors at the restaurants said.
"We see a big increase in sales for Green Key, usually by about 30 percent," EBAs owner Maureen Bogosian said.
Molly's general manager Ben Williams expressed a similar sentiment about the weekend, saying that "[Molly's] always sees a dramatic increase in sales."
Several Hanover business owners attributed the increased traffic during Green Key to the influx of alumni and other visitors to the College, which creates a "higher volume of potential customers," Williams said.
Jack Stinson, owner of Stinson's Village Store, said that much of his store's boosted sales come from alumni who have graduated from the College within the past five years.
"A significant amount of our sales are attributed to [young alumni] coming up for the festival," Stinson said.
The increased number of alumni returning this weekend provides an opportunity for the Dartmouth Co-op to display its new spring inventory and graduation items, according to store manager Paul Bouchard.
"Green Key customers typically get the first pick at the new items before they sell out in June during graduation and alumni weekend," Bouchard said.
In anticipation of the surge in sales this weekend, many local business owners said they are making special preparations to ensure they can accommodate the influx of visitors.
"[Green Key] is definitely a more stuff, more food, all hands on deck type of weekend," Bogosian said.
Stinson, whose store generates a large portion of its sales from beer and alcohol, said that he and his staff will be particularly vigilant about preventing the purchase of alcohol by underage customers this Green Key weekend.
