With the school year coming to an end, students may be anxious about finals and summer jobs, but local businesses have something else to worry about.
Though some University students stay on campus over the summer, attending classes, doing research and working, the dramatic drop in the campus population always has businesses scrambling to make ends meet.
"Pretty much everyone on the block just tries to break even over the summer," Bubble House co-owner Jeremiah Boorsma said.
The Sansom Street restaurant's bubble teas and Asian specialties may have a large number of students lining up during the school year, but throughout the summer, "there's a really dramatic decrease in business," Boorsma said.
Bubble House cuts back on hours and employees, but still manages due to business from local residents and workers.
A Sansom Street neighbor to Bubble House, gift shop Paper Garden, has just as many problems.
"We manage, but it's a lot slower," Paper Garden assistant manager Tavon Rogers said of summer business.
Rogers noted that only thanks to shoppers like "people in the hospital [and] office buildings" can the shop survive.
The Black Cat, a Sansom Street gift shop that is part of the White Dog Cafe establishment, deals with the same issues as other businesses.
The summer drop in students "does affect [business], and it's slower," Black Cat Assistant Manager Emily Conroy said.
However, the store is "lucky to be a part of an established business.... White Dog is pretty well known," Conroy said. Because the restaurant has made a name for itself, the adjacent store will still be visited by many Philadelphia visitors and residents.
"We know it will all be OK," Conroy reflected. "Summer is not the biggest shopping time ever."
Though even campus staples like the White Dog have summer troubles, the new Ben & Jerry's, which opened its doors on the 40th Street corridor just two weeks ago, has yet to experience a summer on Penn's campus.
While the ice cream shop's well-known flavors like Cherry Garcia and Chunky Monkey currently have students dropping by at all hours, Matthew Sampson, who manages Ben & Jerry's campus location, realizes that business may wane once the semester ends.
"It may well change in the summertime," Sampson said, but the store will compensate for the loss of business by relying on residents of the surrounding neighborhoods.
Though some businesses also face the departure of student employees as well, Sampson noted that the store has already prepared for the end of the school year by hiring students willing to stay on for the summer.
Ben & Jerry's will actively plan promotions and events "all over Philadelphia" throughout the summer in order to keep business rolling.
Local businesses may have to overcome extra challenges that arise from being situated on a university campus, but just as they do during the school year, each will continue serving customers as best it can.
