Waterloo business owners hoping students will return
With universities moving courses online, it’s unclear how many students will be back to Waterloo this fall
WATERLOO — As businesses around the region wait desperately for COVID-19 restrictions to ease, store owners in Waterloo are also watching to see how many students return to town for the fall semester.
For small businesses that rely on the student population for much of their sales, the announcement that colleges and universities were moving most of their courses online was a heavy blow — one that even proved fatal for some businesses.
In mid-March, the uptown Water
loo bar Chainsaw closed for good. Owner Ryan Good said he made the decision in anticipation that students would not be returning in the fall.
“It’s going to be devastating for the uptown community,” he said.
This virus is reshaping not only the future of universities and how classes are held, but the future of how people congregate and socialize.
He said owning a popular student bar during this pandemic was similar to owning a popular cruise ship.
“What’s the future?” he said. “I made a decision quickly because that’s what I saw.”
Shops that aren’t as reliant on students may have an easier time ramping up once restrictions are lifted, but if fewer students return the impact of this will be felt throughout the city.
Students bring life to the downtown core, Good said. They “make the town come alive,” especially on Friday and Saturday nights.
During the daytime, students also bring life to the plaza at the corner of University Avenue and Phillip Street. Among the collection of restaurants and shops is a bubble tea shop called The Alley.
Owner Kyle Zhang said before the pandemic, around 70 per cent of his business came from students. After closing for several weeks, he said sales are slowly returning but they’re still only a fraction of what they once were.
“A lot of students, they come to Waterloo just for studying,” he said, a former UW grad himself. “When the classes move online that means we lose a lot of potential customers.”
He’s been working with his landlord to have his rent reduced and has cut the number of staff hours in half, anything to keep his business afloat.
“We don’t have to make money but if we can keep the business going, that’s a good thing,” he said. If the business can ride it out long enough, the sales will come back.
Waiting to reopen
Chad Yurkin, co-owner of several of local bars and clubs including The Drink Uptown, Ace Ping Pong Lounge and District, said he’s not so much concerned with whether or not the students return this fall — he’s just looking for a sign for when he can reopen.
It’s tough to plan when you have no idea what reopening might look like or when that might happen, he said. But given the chance, bars and clubs could put in place a number of restrictions to make it safer for people to attend, even while COVID-19 is still a concern.
People still want to go out, he said. And some people are still attending small house parties — he sees photos posted here and there on social media. If people are going to gather, they might as well do it in a place that has safety measures in place, he said.
Angela Smith runs Mel’s Diner in Waterloo and Kitchener. She said the Waterloo location serves a lot of students but doesn’t fully rely on them. A decline in the student population may lead to less business but she said they’ll get by.
Her bigger concern is around capacity limitations she expects to see once restaurants reopen. “Fifty per cent capacity for any location will be a tough blow to bottom lines.”
Terry Phillips, owner of Slots Coin Laundry, said his sales are down around 20 per cent since the students moved out in March.
If they don’t come back, “there will definitely be a loss of sales,” he said. The laundromat also has contracts with fitness clubs and massage clinics. As those businesses resume, Phillips expects sales will improve.
Tracy Van Kalsbeek, executive director of the Uptown Waterloo
BIA, said she hasn’t heard anything from businesses concerned about fewer students returning to the area. Most businesses are focused more on surviving this pandemic.
“They’re still worried about that very basic ‘How do I keep my doors open?’ and ‘How do I pay my rent?’”
Many uptown shops are still recovering after enduring years of construction with the light rail transit and streetscaping initiatives, she said.
As far as students choosing not to return, Van Kalsbeek says she doesn’t see it. First year students may choose not to come to Waterloo, “but I’m sure there are a lot of kids who don’t want to stick around and live with their parents, too.”
When it comes to second, third and fourth year students, they’re likely trapped in their lease and will choose to return, she said.