NewHavenBIZ

n e w h a v e n b i z . c o m | S e p t e m b e r / O c t o b e r 2 0 2 0 | n e w h a v e n B I Z 15 When students aren't in town, business is down Michelle Tuccitto Sullo C O L L E G E T O W N B L U E S W hen thousands of college students come to live and study in New Haven each semester, they bring with them an economic boost to the city. ey eat at local restau- rants and buy clothes and goods at retailers. en the coronavirus hit in March, and students at institutions such as Yale University, Southern Connecticut State University, Gate- way Community College, Albertus Magnus College and the University of New Haven switched primarily to online learning. e absence of not only students, but professors and staff, has had a significant impact on business traffic, according to city merchants and restaurateurs. Daisey Scott, assistant manager at Garden Catering in downtown New Haven, has seen the difference firsthand. e restaurant serves an array of food, from chicken nuggets to wraps and grain bowls, both to walk-in customers and through catering. Scott estimates approximately 40 to 50 percent of the restaurant's customers are typically college students. "e schools are a big part of our business, and since they've been gone, we aren't making the money we usually make," Scott said. "It's more Yale, but Gateway too. Hope- fully as the schools open up, we'll get more business. We normally do a lot of catering for Yale and for events on the Green, so we hope it comes back around soon." Sunny Patel, manager of College Convenience on College Street, says downtown has been "very empty" without college students. Patel estimates about 50 percent of his customers typically are Yale students or workers. "Once the students were gone, we lost the business," Patel says. "My hope is that when the students come back, so will the business." New normal According to a June Federal Reserve Bank of Boston report, between 5% and 10% of jobs in New Haven County are tied to the higher-education industry, showing just how significant an economic driver colleges are here. at number doesn't include the thousands of students the schools also enroll. Yale alone has more than 13,000 undergraduate and graduate students, while SCSU has around 10,000 pupils. "e departure of students when campuses closed early in the spring semester has had a major impact on the volume of goods and services consumed in New England's college towns," the report said. "Higher education permeates many aspects of the communities beyond direct employment, wages, and student-driven consumption; it extends to conferences, athletic events, and more." Sam Burton, owner of Grey Matter Books on York Street, said of all the local colleges, he mostly gets customers from Yale. He estimated business was down 80 to 90 percent in the spring due to the virus, and his shop was doing Continued on Page 16 Michael Piscitelli (right), New Haven's interim economic development administrator, is encouraging people to "buy local" to help Elm City businesses – like Crafted by Hand Cafe led by Executive Chef Christopher Bateman (left) – through the crisis. PHOTO/GARY LEWIS

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