This is the first of two stories in a series looking at on-campus businesses. The second story will appear Thursday, April 21.
In its attempt to fill the vacancy left by Blockbuster, Marquette is looking to give students what they want and are approaching the decision diligently in order to to get it right, said Toby Peters, associate vice president in the Office of Administration.
With Papa John's in the process of moving across the street and Blockbuster gone, the Campus Town area is all but deserted, and Marquette must find a new business to fill the hole.
To do this, the Office of Administration is working with Marquette Student Government to decide the future of the currently vacant space.
The strip that formerly housed the office of University Apartments and Off Campus Student Services, a bank and Papa John's will be occupied by the Office of the Bursar this month, Peters said, because previous assessments suggested the service the Bursar offers would be best in an area easily accessible to students, he said.
In order to determine what to do with the former Blockbuster lot, Marquette is contracting a consultant group, the Planning and Design Institute, to do a market study, Peters said.
The university is being cautious in its search but hopes to fill the space by the start of the fall semester.
"Historically, some of the errors that have occurred in the management of Campus Town is that they've taken businesses that paid their rent but didn't survive very well," Peters said.
Businesses tended to do poorly during the summer and over breaks when students were gone, said College of Arts & Sciences sophomore Jimmy Tobyne, former MUSG chair member in its Business and Government committee. Although Tobyne is no longer a member of MUSG, he is still involved with this issue.
Peters met with the Business and Government committee to discuss the options when Tobyne said he proposed the idea of a grocery store to occupy space in Campus Town.
"Even in the summer, the residents that live around us need to eat," Tobyne said.
Some of the other options are a computer lab, a workout facility and a restaurant, said College of Business Administration freshman Tim Smith, the current chair member in Business and Government.
Although rumors have suggested the possibility of a Chipotle restaurant moving in, Peters said Chipotle never contacted Marquette about the vacancy.
The committee also wants to hear from students which businesses would or would not be utilized, Smith said.
Campus Town is not the only Marquette property seeking businesses. A vacant storefront next to Papa John's is currently being used by student organizations, but if alternative space is found for those organizations, Marquette will be looking to fill the space with a commercial business, Peters said.
In addition to future businesses, Peters and MUSG have other intentions. Open Pantry, currently on 824 N. 16th St., approached Marquette requesting input from students to improve their services.
Last week, MUSG and the Office of Administration conducted a survey at the Alumni Memorial Union to get students' opinions on Open Pantry. There will be a focus group at 6 p.m. on the second floor of the 1212 Building to present the results of the survey to Open Pantry, Smith said.
Another focus group will discuss the Campus Town property April 21 at 6 p.m. in the same location, Smith said.
If any students are interested in attending either of the focus groups, Peters said, they can contact Tobyne or Smith at the MUSG office for more information at 8-7416.
This article appeared in The Marquette Tribune on April 14 2005.