COLUMBIA, S.C. — College students from around the Midlands return to school in the next couple of weeks, which is a welcome sight for local businesses around the campuses.
Sunday was a hot moving day for Charlie Hastings and his brother Jack, two undergraduates at USC. The pair spent Sunday afternoon braving the heat and moving into their new place at The Mills apartment complex.
"We've just been putting stuff into the Uhaul, and taking it to Olympia," Jack says
They joined dozens of other students on Sunday moving into the complex. Families were seen pouring in and out with their moving carts and furniture.
It's a welcomed sight for Kipp Shives, the owner of Granby Grill, a restaurant that sits right next to the mills. He said that, during the summer, his business and foot traffic is cut in half. He said this summer had lower sales than during the pandemic.
"It's night and day; we had move-ins Saturday, move-ins yesterday, that parking lot from empty to full overnight." Shives said. "We're thrilled to have them in town."
He said the students living next door are the lifeblood of his business, and seeing them back means a return to normal. He said he expects business to kick up almost immediately.
"We kinda get going in August, and then football starts Sept. 2, and then next thing we know, it's December," he said.
It's similar at the Thirsty Fellow bar and restaurant next to Colonial Life Arena. Manager and bartender Alex Shaw said they see a 25 to 30% increase in business once students come.
"You can look around at the parking lots; you can start seeing people more, even in the mornings," Shaw said. "We have our normal morning traffic, but you can see everybody wondering. Having them back is a huge deal for us."
He said they want to hire more people and shift the menu to attract more business.
"Make it a little bit more simple, but also fun still," he said. "We do some specials that kinda revolve around school or sports."
Local businesses are also one of the things that the Hastings brothers are looking forward to. But above everything, they're excited about gamedays.
"I miss the hype at Williams Brice; I miss the tailgating; I just miss the classic college experience," one said.
