By: Savannah Love Chadee
Glassboro is home to more than just Rowan University students. When the academic year ends and thousands of students leave campus, the borough experiences shifts in activity that reveal a side of the community often overshadowed during the school year. Glassboro has a substantial student population connected to Rowan University and a year-round residential community reflected in Glassboro’s population data. For businesses that rely on student customers, summer can bring a noticeable shift in foot traffic and sales.
At the same time, businesses continue serving residents who live in Glassboro year-round, creating a different flow for the borough outside the academic calendar. Some businesses experience a slowdown when students leave, while others continue operating at a similar pace, highlighting the various ways Glassboro’s economy operates with and without its college population.
For Oishii Ramen, the departure of students brings a noticeable decline in customers. Emily Lin, a server at the restaurant, said its location on Rowan Boulevard means students make up a significant portion of its customer base.
“Most of our business relies heavily on students given our location, especially in the summertime we notice a rapid change of customers and it becomes very quiet. It can be anywhere from four to five tables per day, so definitely slower paced,” said Lin.
But the summer slowdown is not universal. At Tag’s Auto Supply, business remains relatively consistent throughout the year. Sean Whittaker, a stockman at the Glassboro business, said it sees only a slight increase in customers when students return to campus.
“Our business is pretty stable throughout the year. Like, it does increase a little when students come back, fixing cars and whatnot, but it usually remains the same. As someone who is from South Jersey and works here in Glassboro, the area during the summertime is so much easier to get around. Given you have a lot less students,” said Whittaker.
While Tag’s experiences little change in business, the seasonal shift affects operations at other establishments. At CREAM Cafe, Paige Macari, a barista, said the business adjusts its operating hours during the summer because many of its customers are Rowan students who use the space to study.
“So during the school year, we’re open from 7 to 4, and then in the summer it’s 7 to 2 because it’s just not as busy, the majority of our clientele are students who sit and study. During the winter and summer breaks, it’s very quiet here. No one really studies in the winter unless they’re taking winter classes, of course, but I would say we’re more dependent on students than residents. We have tables filled during the school year with college kids and laptops and all,” said Macari.
The shift extends beyond local businesses. Year-round residents also notice changes in Glassboro’s atmosphere when students leave campus. Samantha Hauer, a South Jersey native who has lived in Glassboro for several years, notices differences in the borough during spring, winter and particularly summer breaks.
“I feel like there’s definitely a decrease in students and a lot less going on in town from events to noise. Especially for my community of young adults, during the summertime I see a lot more families in Glassboro, especially on the Boulevard going out to restaurants,” said Hauer.
While Hauer notices a change in the community’s atmosphere, some businesses continue to draw customers beyond Rowan’s student population. Gwen Bebtty, a server at Chickie’s & Pete’s on Rowan Boulevard, said the restaurant benefits from increased foot traffic when students are on campus but also attracts customers from outside Glassboro, particularly through its connection to Philadelphia sports.
“We definitely benefit more when students are on campus just because of the way that students walk past restaurants making it more appealing for them to try something different. It does help that we are a sports bar and we’re a big sponsor of all the Philadelphia sports teams, so we get a decent amount of people from all over. Especially Red October, a lot of customers come from so many different areas. During the summertime we rely more on the families, but it’s not really bad for us compared to the other businesses on the Boulevard, which get hit a little harder,” said Bebtty.
Bebtty’s perspective highlights how businesses with different customer bases can experience the summer months differently. Although Chickie’s & Pete’s benefits from Rowan students, families and sports fans also bring customers to the restaurant outside the academic year. The experiences of local workers and residents show that Glassboro does not experience the departure of students in just one way. For some establishments, summer brings fewer customers and shorter operating hours.
For others, business remains relatively stable, while residents notice changes in the borough’s activity and atmosphere. When Rowan students leave for the summer, Glassboro continues to operate, but its rhythm changes. The experiences of local businesses and year-round residents reveal how closely the borough’s economy and social life are connected to the academic calendar, while also demonstrating that its community extends beyond the student population.
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This article was produced as part of Follow South Jersey’s student journalism program, which provides aspiring journalists with practical experience in professional news reporting and writing.
