Plan could have big effects on area retail

Though the focus of the University's new 10-year, $300 million construction and renovation plan is on dormitories and dining facilities, the effort stands to impact another area of student life: campus retail. The likely demolition of the Stouffer Triangle in 2001 and the possible addition of retail to Hamilton Village would increase nearby retail options for Hamilton residents while limiting the selection available to those living in the Quad. While there is "no certainty" Stouffer will be razed, David Brownlee, head of College Houses and Academic Services and a prime architect of the new project, said that consultants have reported that "there is too much deficient about the current structure" to warrant renovating the existing facility. Brownlee -- who said that "no decision whatsoever has been reached as to whether [street-front] retail will be a part of the mix" at a new Stouffer facility -- emphasized the administration's commitment to "placing attractive retail in places where it's of interest to people." At a minimum, Quad inhabitants would be without Stouffer's stores during the two-year construction of the proposed dining facility, designed to obscure less of the historic Quad from view, which is tentatively slated for completion by 2003. Contrasting with Stouffer's temporary -- and perhaps permanent -- loss of retail, administrators say that some stores, possibly including a jazz club or convenience store, may be brought into Hamilton Village proper. Both proposed changes reflect a broader trend in Penn's retail picture. The total amount of retail space remains roughly the same, but a hodgepodge of more than two dozen stores spread throughout campus has been replaced by a smaller group of larger and more upscale retailers increasingly located on the campus' northern and western periphery. The impact of the trend is particularly pronounced for the residents of the campus' oldest dormitory, the Quad, as retail options continue to move further away. As recently as last spring, two malls -- the Stouffer strip and Houston Hall's basement mall -- stood within a block of the Quad. A third, University Plaza, also afforded students a variety of retail options just off Locust Walk. Today, only Stouffer remains. Three years from now it, too, will likely be gone, with its niche market probably unserved for at least the time it takes to build a new facility. Such a development would leave virtually no retail within a two-block radius of the Quad's four college houses, save for McClelland Marketplace and the Quad commissaries, Houston Hall's renovated food court and other Penn-operated options. Houston Hall, built in 1895, was the first to close, shutting its doors last May as part of the Perelman Quadrangle renovations. When completed, the Perelman Quad will provide a much-needed student center, housing various groups and providing function and study space around the clock. But the complex will not include any of the retailers who once operated in the student union's basement, with the possible exception of a photocopy store. University Plaza -- the Penn bookstore's old home at 38th and Walnut streets -- also closed over the summer. The site will be used for a new Wharton facility after the present building is demolished this winter. All the while, new retail space is popping up at an equal pace, albeit in different places. Penn has focused its recent efforts on two projects, Sansom Common and the 40th Street corridor, both along the campus' periphery. Sansom Common houses Penn's new bookstore, a coffeeshop/bar and several other stores; a hotel will open late next year. The complex is highly convenient to nearby residences, including King's Court/English House and the Sansom Place graduate towers. The 40th Street area is another focus of future development, as plans for a Sundance Cinemas theater and food market-parking garage progress rapidly. University officials say many of the existing stores in the Penn-owned Hamilton Village shopping center will be phased out as their leases expire, making way for a new mix of retail options focused on making the area a destination at night and on weekends. The trend is clear. The buildings at the center of campus grow increasingly focused on Penn's core educational mission while the more peripheral aspects of student life are focused around the edges. The probable change would serve a twofold purpose. It allows Penn to work toward its stated goal of creating a "campus-like atmosphere" while creating a retail destination along 40th and Walnut streets, attracting shoppers from other parts of the metropolitan area. The notion of a focused retail center is far from unprecedented, and brings a new calculus along with it. Larger stores derive their profit from sale volume, translating into lower prices and greater variety for customers. But such stores are, on average, less accessible and convenient to consumers. For example, students who have long been accustomed to multiple convenience stores scattered about campus will now have a single food market at 40th and Walnut streets. The store will be less accessible to the average undergraduate, but probably much cheaper. It will provide a greater range of options, but probably not the 24-hour service that makes Wawa much-loved. And many students say they love the convenience of the corner market so often associated with city living. "You shouldn't have to walk so far, especially for the basic things," said Joe Borstein, a College freshman "I buy things I don't like that much just because it's right here [at Wawa]." There is a sure measure of how popular the Stouffer stores are -- their profitability. The Wawa at 38th and Spruce streets grosses about $70,000 a week, according to Erik Speck, an assistant manager there. By contrast, the Wawa in Sansom East -- at 36th and Chestnut streets -- grosses about $40,000 a week. The latter figure is more in line with the average store gross for the chain, Speck said, making the Stouffer location enormously successful. And it is not just Wawa. "This whole strip cleans up," Speck said. "We're all busy. We're always mobbed." Next door, Steve and Barry's University Sportswear provides an even sharper contrast. Once located on 40th Street, its business has increased sharply since the store moved to its present home. Other stores facing possible eviction include the Beijing Chinese restaurant, Penn Barber Shop, Saladworks and a shoe store. At least one store in the Stouffer strip: Dolbey's, a medical bookstore, is the only store of its kind in University City.