Campus Corner, which is right across the street from the University of Oklahoma and features more than 70 businesses, has been a popular destination for more than a century.
Even in an era when chain businesses are increasingly prevalent across Oklahoma, Campus Corner still keeps it predominately local. The area features 10 corporate chain restaurants compared to four locally owned chain and 18 non-chain restaurants. The mix keeps it full of loyal customers during both the summer and school year.
“I like to go to local restaurants,” incoming freshman Zach Armendariz said. “It’s more personal. People start a restaurant because they enjoy it, and you can’t get their items anywhere else.”
“Local restaurants are my favorite,” added Norman native Brooke Jennings. “They have items and qualities that you can’t get anywhere else.”
Local businesses owners, such as Ricardo Lara, benefit from customers such as Armendariz.
“During the school year business is steady because of parking, but the best time for Pepe Delgado’s is during the summer,” said Lara, owner of the Mexican restaurant that has been in business since 1992. “Families come from the other side of town for our fresh food and family friendly service. The customers come as guests, but leave as my friends.”
Not all restaurants have the same experiences. For some, their profits experience summertime lulls.
“We live and die by the OU schedule,” Lee Hentges, Othello’s bar manager, said. “We do a lot better when the students are here — it’s popular and always busy.”
Other business owners say they seem to have an equal amount of profit year round.
“Being near the OU campus doesn’t affect my sales. We sell the only Catholic items in Norman, so most of our customers are repeat visitors. I call them friends,” said Richard Alexander, owner of The Melting Pot.
Campus Corner is particularly popular on OU football game days, when Sooner fans from all over pack the four-block district. That is an opportunity local merchants want to grow beyond six or so Saturdays a year.
“I’m working on organizing non-football related art walks and festivals in order to turn it into more of a destination outside of football season,” said Erin Patton, executive director of the Campus Corner Merchants Association.
Despite those efforts, some Campus Corner businesses still struggle.
Restaurant Café Plaid recently shut its doors. Shocking its fans. Many of them took to on social media sites to express their disbelief of the closing of what they believed was a popular Campus Corner business.
“I just heard a rumor that Café Plaid is permanently closed. Excuse me while I openly sob in public. #WHYYYY,” recent OU graduate Taylor Gronlund posted on Twitter the afternoon she found out.
The building was quickly remarketed and leased again. It is due to open mid-August, and will be an Italian restaurant known as the Meatball House.
That isn’t the only business new to Campus Corner. Post Script is a stationery shop that opened July 24, and Annabelle’s, a women’s clothing store, recently moved in as well. There also is a new pizza place set to open soon and CoolGreens, a healthy chain restaurant, is under construction.
