This summer’s construction has effected businesses located inside the Wilkinson Student Center both positively and negatively during the last six months.
The five businesses — The Wall, the Games Center, Studio 1030, Cougar Creations and the post office — said this summer was rough, but things are stabilizing now that the construction is complete and school is back in session.
“People are coming back slowly,” said Thom Roylance, assistant director at the post office. “Because over half of our customers are from the community, we had to close down the post office for three months this summer. We lost a lot of revenue because of this. But we now offer additional services to increase revenue, and this seems to be pleasing to customers.”
Fred Grazzini, manager of Cougar Creations, said the hardest change for them has been accessibility for local customers.
“We’ve had customers say it’s not as convenient, especially during the summer,” Grazzini said. “Lots of customers weren’t happy about how hard it was to get to us. They still say they miss being able to pull up and park for 15 minutes. So it’s more inconvenient for our customers, but they still come.”
Most managers seemed to agree that the construction changes are positive now that the construction is complete.
“I think it will be a huge improvement, especially with the beautiful landscaping,” said Sterling May, manager of The Wall and Bowling and Games Center. “The roundabout drops off right next to the entrance to The Wall and the Bowling and Games Center, which is a great benefit for us.”
Kristene Gillum, manager of Studio 1030, has received positive feedback from her customers.
