Beat the Heat – Tempe Businesses Get Creative in a Summer Slowdown

Posted on | July 9, 2010 | No Comments

Michelle Pence

 By Michelle Pence, Communications Dept. Intern

When temperatures start to soar during the summer months, sadly, revenue for businesses in the Valley tends to do the opposite. In the Tempe area, the mass departure of college students for the summer coupled with the blazing heat can lead to a lull in local business.

For local merchant Mike Jennings the summer break from school for approximately 52,000 Arizona State University students is what hits his business the hardest; Jennings runs the specialty store Campus Corner, with locations on both Mill and South College avenues.

John Wasson, owner of Bison Witches Bar and Deli, also located in downtown Tempe, attributes the one-third decrease in summer sales his business experiences to the absence of students in town and more easily accessible businesses in other parts of town.

Innovative methods are often necessary for these local businesses to draw in customers and compete with hot-weather businesses; these strategies range from taking advantage of new technology to adjusting marketing strategies.

How are other companies surviving and thriving? Read their tips below…

Julian Wright, owner of LaBocca Urban Pizzeria on Mill Avenue, utilizes a grassroots approach to marketing during the summer to attract customers.

“We distribute food and industry discount cards good for summer only, do e-mail blasts and participate in charity events,” said Wright.

Wasson takes advantage of social networking to promote his business by updating Bison Witches’ Facebook page daily with specials as well as working with vendors to regularly offer special promotions.

Casaundra Brown, spokesperson for the Downtown Tempe Community, explains that many businesses cope with the lack of students by partnering up for special promotions.  For example, Here on the Corner Boutique is teaming up with Campus Corner to share customer traffic.

For these merchants, advanced preparation for the summer months is crucial. For example, Wasson has come to anticipate the lackluster summers and routinely cuts back on staff until students and faculty return for the fall semester and business picks up.  Summer also serves as a time for businesses to regroup and make temporary adjustments, such as cutting back on expenses, in order to ensure productivity and prepare for the upcoming months.

“Because we don’t receive large orders, the main focus is cleaning and fixing up the stores,” said Jennings. “I also cut back store hours and keep inventory levels low by ordering more frequent small orders.”

Being creative and proactive seems to be working, because two of the three merchants agree that in comparison with past summers, the current summer has surprised them in a positive way.

“We are almost back to the business volume of three or four years ago,” said Jennings. “The summers of 2008 and 2009 were terrible, but 2010 has rebounded, and it almost feels like the recession is gone.”

“This summer has been pretty decent,” agreed Wright. “We have done a little bit better than last year thus far.”

The downtown Tempe community as a whole makes an effort to adjust to the summer months with special events and accommodations for visitors; many of the patios and outdoor areas feature misters and shades to keep guests cool. MADCAP Theaters hosts a “Summer Break Movie Madness” series targeted at children home from school for the summer, and people who want to enjoy the great outdoors always have the option to visit Tempe Town Lake and Beach Park with numerous activities available and events constantly occurring.

According to Brown, although the summer months present a slightly different picture than the other months of the year, the Downtown Tempe Community is still thriving.

“We don’t have a huge slowdown,” Brown said. “We still serve 30,000 employees during the day and our nightlife is still just as busy.”

Just as Tempe’s citizens learn to tolerate the heat with sunscreens, air conditioning and personal misters, its businesses have adopted similar coping mechanisms to ride out the summer months. Sales, clever marketing and creative activities help local merchants survive when the heat is on.

Michelle Pence

Comments