PAGE 2 // WEDNESDAY. APRIL 6, 2011
NEWS
THE PENDULUM
Businesses in downtown Elon cater
creatively to customer base of students
iSsvjy.
HEAmER CASSANO | Photo Editor
Currently, there are 12 spaces available for businesses in downtown Elon. The university is working to increase the
commerce there, and has contacted more than 40 businesses about the possibility of coming to the area.
Natalie Allison
Senbr Reporter
Owners of businesses in
downtown Elon must thini
strategically about how their
shops will rely on the support
of mainly college students, with
fewer than 12 spaces available.
Shops that have maintained
a presence on the block for
several years, as well as those
that are new to Elon, all have
one thing in common: to
provide different products and
services to Elon students and
community members.
Justine Duszlak, owner of
Mynt boutique, has been in
business in downtown Elon
for seven years. Duszlak said
her Lebanon Avenue business
knows its target customers and
what to offer them that they
can’t get anywhere else in the
area.
“We get all sorts of people,”
she said. “Whatever you carry,
whether it be food or clothing,
you need to do your research.
We carry some brands that
aren’t even available in
Greensboro.”
Beth Kelley, employee at All
That JAS on Williamson Avenue,
said the Greek-inspired store is
also a destination spot.
“People travel up and down
1-40 because our store is very
unique," Kelley said.
Although Elon students
make up the majority of the
store’s customer base. All That
JAS has expanded beyond the
local area, making the shop
popular with other schools
in North Carolina. Students
from UNC Wilmington to
Appalachian State University
come by the store to shop for
apparel and accessories that
are offered at few other places
in the state, Kelley said.
Paige Sigmon, a student
at High Point University,
frequently drives to All That
JAS so she can have a more
personal shopping experience
for her Greek apparel.
“I’d rather not do the
shopping online," Sigmon
said. “I like to have personal
service and would still drive 45
minutes for it — even if weren’t
necessarily located at another
university."
These two businesses
in particular, because of
the unique nature of their
merchandise offerings, said
they are successful beyond their
business with Elon students.
The newly-opened Local
Yogurt, a frozen yogurt shop
that features fresh fruit
toppings from area farmers,
is one of three locations by
the same name in the state.
Each shop, including those
in Greenville and Durham, is
located in college towns and
mainly serve students.
“Most of our customers are
Elon students,” said Natasha
Whitby, employee at Local
Yogurt in Elon. “I worked here
a few days over spring break
— it was just dead. I don’t
think the Elon and Burlington
community really knows
about it.”
Because Elon’s emphasis
on sustainability is not
necessarily shared by most in
the surrounding community,
Whitby said many people
might not understand why
Local Yogurt is different from
other ice cream and frozen
yogurt stores.
The ElonTown Center, which
is currently being constructed
beside Acorn Coffee Shop,
will feature the university’s
Barnes & Noble bookstore.
The Pendulum office and two
additional businesses.
No decisions have been
made concerning which
other businesses will occupy
the space in the Elon Town
Center, according to Gerald
Whittington, senior vice
president for business, finance
and technology.
To increase commerce in the
downtown area, Whittington
said the developer and the
university have approached
more than 40 businesses,
including clothing stores,
food venues, jewelry stores,
drugstores and services, such
as dry cleaning.
Sophomore Genevieve
D’Cruz said she would like
to see a more practical store,
such as a drugstore or small
grocery store.
“I don’t have a car on
campus,” she said. “If I run
out of shampoo. I’d like to
not have to run to downstairs
Colonnades and pay $7 for a
bottle of shampoo.”
The two new businesses to
be housed in the Elon Town
Center will be determined in
late spring or this summer,
Whittington said.
Elon follows sustainability plan,
stays in full bloom for spring
HEAT>1ER CASSANO | Photo Editor
Groundskeepers consider ttie landscaping of Elon to be a significant factor in developing the university’s image.
Becca Tynes
Senior Reporter
Spring is finally here, and
Elon University’s campus is
bursting with color.
While it may seem the
flower display beds across
campus change often
throughout the academic
year, they are only changed
twice.
“Wechangeonlytheannual
flower display beds, and that
is twice a year, planting the
winter annuals in October
and the summer annuals
right after commencement in
late May or early June,” said
Tom Flood, assistant director
of Physical Plant and director
of landscaping and grounds.
Early spring at Elon is not a
changeover season. Although
campus looks different than
it did during the winter
months, the flowers currently
blooming on Elon’s campus
were planted in October
and November. But many
students do not realize this.
“It seems as if new flowers
and plants are planted every
few weeks on campus,” said
sophomore Hayley Robb.
“The campus always looks so
fresh and cleaned up. I had
no idea they only plant new
flowers twice a year.”
TUlips are spring-
blooming perennials, and
although the landscaping
team plants the bulbs in the
winter months, the tulips do
not bloom until spring.
Landscaping is a primary
factor in establishing the
image of the university. It
assists in supporting Elon’s
national image of excellence
and must be kept attractive
in order to market the
university.
“The reality is that many
people’s judgment of the
university is supported
by the appearance of the
landscape and the buildings,”
Flood said. “The landscape is
the cover of the book called
Elon.”
Greg Zaiser, dean of
admissions, agrees with Flood
and said the appearance and
landscaping of the campus
are what visitors first
comment on when they visit
the university.
“The physical nature of
the campus is very, very
powerful,” Zaiser said. “The
campus always moves people
beyond words.”
Despite the myth that
the grass at Elon is painted,
it stays so green because of
overseeding.
“Although rumor may have
it, we do not paint the grass,"
Flood said. “We overseeded
the grass last August and
early September in order to
thicken up the grass and
create an everlasting green
color."
Elon’s landscapers
maintain the campus’
image while following the
sustainability plan in every
way possible. Flood said.
Storm water is captured
in Lakes Mary Nell and
Verona, which are in turn,
the campus’ main irrigation
systems.
Leaves and grass clippings
are ground up and used for
compost, which has many
uses in the landscaping on
campus. Some of the compost
goes into the flowerbeds.
while some is also taken and
turned into fertilizer.
The campus’ landscapers
use a slow-release fertilizer
to fertilize main campus
twice a year.
“We have a landscape
management plan," Flood
said. “In return, we have no
leaching, no run-off and we’re
using the absolute minimum
amount of fertilizer we can
possibly use.”
While many people who
visit campus fall in love
with its environment, once
they experience Elon even
more, they soon learn that
the inside is as good as the
outside, Zaiser said.
“Once people see that the
buildings and grounds cire
well cared for, they eventually
learn that the people are, too,”
Flood said.
ECC bids
farewell
to historic
structure
ECC from PAGE 1
There were two dissenting votes of the
108 votes cast.
“We talked about demolishing the
Parish House quite a few times over the
past 10 years, and we really exhausted
our efforts in renovating the Parish House
and restoring it as much as we can,” said
Monica Nicholson, office manager at the
Elon Community Church. “We’ve done
the best we can to keep it here as long as
we could, but it has become too much to
maintain.”
The current structure is approximately
2,000 square feet and will increase by
1,800 square feet.
“The church is growing, and also
the community is growing,” Nicholson
said. “The current building we have is
just not big enough. We are a very green
congregation, and it is not meeting those
needs any more.”
In order to be more energy efficient,
the building will contain a two-stage
heat pump and LEED lighting. The new
building will also include a banquet
room, a stage, a full service kitchen,
storage space, three classrooms and an
elevator.
“It will be easier for our older and
handicapped members to access both the
new building and the church building,”
Nicholson said.
The new facility will better suit the
various organizations that use the
church, Troxler said.
Elon organizations and Cub Scouts
currently use the church for philanthropy
events and meeting space.
She hopes that the addition will foster
a greater connection between the church
and the university and the church and
the community, she said.
“I think it will set a foundation for the
spirit and growth in the church,” said
Earl Danieley, Elon Community Church
member since 1948.