What are downtown Frostburg businesses doing to attract students as customers? To what extent are students a priority, especially for the new businesses?
By: Malik Embree, Ryan Miller, and Rosemary Wehberg
During the past couple of weeks, our group took the time to go visit various local businesses located here on Main Street in Frostburg, MD. During the visits we took to different businesses, we were able to compose a list of questions to ask owners and workers. These questions gave us insight as to how local businesses are affected by students versus locals. The following were responses from the different owners of the various businesses that we were able to interview, which include Gianni’s, A Place To Eat, Main Street book store, J-R`s, and Wild Things.
On Tuesday May 9th, the interviewing process began at Gianni’s Pizza located on Main Street. Our group was lucky enough to be able to interview David, a long-term employee of Gianni's. Mr. David knew a lot about the business and the ways Gianni's has been running the past several years. During the interview, Mr. David stated that the customer ratio regarding locals vs. students is “50/50”. 
Mr. David emphasized that each customer of Gianni’s is just as important to the rest and they prioritize every single customer and order. Gianni’s target market is equal to students and locals. Mr. David mentioned that Gianni’s delivery cars used to be the primary source of marketing, but most recently Gianni’s has been sending out coupons in the mail as part of their marketing strategy. In the summer time, Gianni’s business tends to slow down. Since half of their customers are students, they lose half of their business during the off seasons. Most of their employees are also students so not only does business slow down but also work shifts are being cut. Luckily, Gianni’s has steady local and loyal customers who make up for the slow business during the summer.
Website link- http://www.giannisfrostburg.com
The next interview took place at J-R’s, a local business that provides custom screen printing & embroidery. The owner of the business, John Robinson, was kind enough to share some of the different aspects of his day-to-day business. Mr. Robinson began by stating that although he is located in Frostburg, MD, most of his business is done out of town. Mr. Robinson informed that his business often ships out more orders than orders made in store. Mr. Robinson next shared that J-R’s main area of business is with Shriners Hospital groups. Since the Shriners Hospital has several groups located across the country, J-R’s actually made a shipment all the way out to California to complete an order. Since this particular company provides something that people wear, their customers can be seen as part of their marketing strategy. “When people that have worked with us reach out to another organization and they see our work and like it, that’s the best marketing we can do for this type of business”, said Mr. Robinson. Personal interaction and word of mouth are the biggest ways J-R’s get their business. Although word of mouth is the most effective, J-R’s does advertise on radio, TV, and newspaper. Mr. Robinson next stated that the majority of his in-store orders are mainly for local businesses. Not many students use J-R’s services unless they are a part of an organization. Since many of their customers are from out of town and generally locals, business stays steady even throughout the summer season when school is not in session.
The next local business we visited is popular bar located at the bottom on the hill on Main Street. Wild Things Restaurant and Bar is a popular business that is a favorite spot to many students and local. Allison Yommer, a bar tender and current student, shared many of the “ins and outs” of Wild Things. Ms. Yommer is also currently a bar tender at the Moose Lodge in Cumberland, MD. Ms. Yommer stated that Wild things main customers are definitely students compared to Moose lodge which their customers are almost all older locals. The difference in marketing strategies for both bars is significantly different. Wild Things advertises its business by giving special discounts on certain drinks that college students may enjoy, such as a trashcan. To compare, Moose has more of an older atmosphere so they are going to promote drinks that older customers may enjoy, such as Seagram’s 7and 7. “The customers from Moose would probably shit their pants if they were to ever taste a trashcan”, Ms. Yommer stated jokingly. Since most of Wild Things customers are students, clearly that business is going to slow down significantly during the summer, compared to Moose, which is steady year round.
Fred Powell is the owner of the Main Street book store located just outside of the Frostburg State campus. Mr. Dowell has been in business for 28 years, and seen a lot of businesses come and go. While meeting with Mr. Dowell we took the time to ask him some questions to know more about his business. During the interview, Mr. Dowell explained to us that his main customers are locals due to the fact that students order books online. He also attributed his reputation of his business to his longevity, which helps him get the word out. Apparently his business flourishes during Christmas, and the school year due to the other gifts he has in his store. There is also tourist season that sees a lot of businesses for the book store. Every customer is important to Mr. Dowell, as he has been in business for years striving to provide a service to the people of Frostburg, student or local.
Website Link - https://www.mdmountainside.com/attraction/main_street_books
The next shop we interviewed at was a “A Place To Eat” ran by Chris Aguilar. A Place To Eat is a wonderful restaurant that serves a variety of foods. When we interviewed Mr. Aguilar about his business, he had this to say, “I make everything from scratch, it’s a lot of work and sometimes it is hard finding people who can keep up” referring to the hardworking nature of the fast-food industry. Mr. Aguilar is always on the move. He also was willing to share that his business does suffer a bit of a drop off during the summer once students go home, however as similar to the book store the business picks back up during tourist season. Surprisingly, his customers are comprised of more locals as he says, “everybody up on the hills are more local, and down the hill more student based”. He was one of the few to tell us that he has no marketing strategy, due to the fact that he does everything from scratch. However, he shared with us the importance of the locals due to the fact that “they keep coming back”, and the students due to the fact that the “students talk” and the word spreads. Like Mr. Dowell, Mr. Aguilar is another business owner committed to providing a wonderful service to the people of Frostburg!
It’s evident that the students make up a significant amount of local business customers, but it's also noteworthy that many businesses here in Frostburg also depend on their local customers. It all comes down to loyalty, and many small business owners rely solemnly on loyal customers returning to use their service. Profit is important, but after interviewing many different businesses, we have concluded that loyalty and acceptable services is the major key.
Side Story: Deeper into the campus of Frostburg State University, we found many young business people who have been promoting their own brand. We talked to three individuals in three different fields who have been making a good and selling to their supporters. We found these businesses while talking to people, searching social media and attending expos at Frostburg.
The first entrepreneur we spoke to was Ben of Big Ben Vision’s. Ben is a Frostburg Senior who has been using his camera to impact Frostburg. He has covered multiple events on and off of campus, worked with multiple musicians, and is working on his own films. Ben believes that with hard work and dedication he can make not only an impact on Frostburg, but also the world. He uses his creative ideas and experience from film classes to create a story to depict an artist’s idea and bring it to life. Ben discusses how he has been saving his money to keep up with the new technology and stresses how important it is to with other creative who are serious with their work. He has done a lot of work and can view some of his work on YouTube.
After a great interview with Ben, we spoke to a multi-faceted music group by the name of Against the Grain. Not only does Against The Grain make music, but they make clothes and their brand has been rapidly expanding on the campus of Frostburg. Against The Grain explained how they closely focus on college students by doing raffles, give always, and keeping them updated through social media. They explain how they have been getting a lot of support from fellow students and even locals in the Frostburg Area. With their bright colors and stylish clothes, they are able to connect to more of the campus and to also spread their music. They are able to perform in front of student at on and off campus events and sell their clothes, providing a service to many.
Here against the grain shows off their new “Spring Pack” shirts that they just released. These shirts can be found in magazines and online. Against The Grain sells their fashionable clothes at an affordable price because they say,“ We understand the struggle of college.”
Lastly, we interviewed Taishi and her dinner business. Every few days, Taishi releases a menu filled with dinner options at the affordable price of $6. Taishi makes meals with two entrée options and 4 side options. She began her business because she felt that “there was a lack of good food in Frostburg.” You can see Taishi’s flyers all over social media and on bulletin boards on campus. She does not want her business to become a local thing but has noticed with her popularity on campus, that her business is falling into the interest of locals. She loves the fact that she can help her fellow students while enjoying one of her favorite hobbies.
All in all, these small businesses are having a strong impact on Frostburg and its culture. With such diversity in the talents and so many other businesses, Frostburg has begun to make a melting pot of various businesses and services.
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