Student-run businesses have been around for decades on the University of Massachusetts Amherst campus, as has the UMass Student Union building which was built in the 1950’s. What is different now is that the Student Union is going through renovations that aren’t expected to be complete until fall of 2020.

In the process student-run businesses have been uprooted from their decades long homes and transplanted to Bartlett Hall for the time being, until their new and improved quarters in the Student Union open.

HR Clark is a junior sociology major and co-manager at Earthfoods Café, a vegan-vegetarian restaurant that has existed in the Student Union since 1976. The business recently reopened for its first week in mid-February, but this isn’t the first time that Earthfoods has had to relocate.

“We’ve moved three times, we were in the Commonwealth Room in the Student Union, then we moved into the Hatch and now we’re in Bartlett,” said Clark.

The move has come with its fair share of challenges. Clark says that Earthfoods is currently cooking 300 servings worth of its lunch menu every weekday in a shared kitchen in Hampden, a building in UMass’ Southwest Residential Area, which then needs to be transported to Bartlett every morning as well.

“We’re like just students, like we can’t run a business that takes like hands-on 24/7 on call type of stuff,” said Clark adding, “but we kind of also need to have it succeed, so it’s like a very hard mix with that.”

In addition, Clark noted that the size of the new space has also presented a challenge. Clark prides Earthfoods on its community vibe where students can come and have sit-in dining, but with limited seating compared to the Hatch the business can’t host events and concerts as it had done in the past.

Clark mentioned that Earth Foods faces competition from UMass Dining as it operates during standard lunch hours as well.

“I don’t think we’re going to make any money…it’s going to take a lot of work to succeed and make enough…it’s not great financially, but we’re going to be fine,” Clark said.

Though, Clark admits there are some upsides as well.

“We like had to buy a lot of stuff for moving to the Hatch, but it’s been like less financially on us to move into here which has been really cool,” Clark pointed out, adding, “UMass, really renovated Bartlett for us and paid for a lot of setting it up and we have like an on-site kale steamer and like some newer stuff that we needed which is cool…and students are mad supportive, it’s really good.”

Next door to Earthfoods in its new Bartlett quarters is People’s Market. Established in 1973, People’s Market is a space for affordable and ethically and locally sourced food, primarily coffee, bagels and other caffeinated beverages.

Anna Ben-Hur is a sophomore social thought and political economy major and one of 15 co-managers at the business, which has been bracing to move out of its 40 year long home in the Student Union for two semesters.

Nevertheless, People’s Market has faced a delayed opening due to several snags.

“This space used to be like offices, so like making a food service space inside of it was really hard…UMass did forget to put a water line for our coffee machine which is like our main product and you can’t really make coffee without a water line,” Ben-Hur said.

“We had to buy a bunch of new coffee machines, which UMass got for us thankfully,” she said adding, “The heating was broken, there was steam at a hundred degrees coming out of our vents so the heating was so broken that the fridges broke because the heating overheated the space and so it was just like every possible thing that could have happened just like broke!”

During the delay the business still needed to pay its workers without the revenue coming from customers. And as of their airing of this report People’s Market has since officially reopened. Despite the delay Ben-Hur said, “At least my main thing that I’m trying to push everybody is to remind everyone like we’re still here.”

A separate student-run business the UMass Bike Co-op, sells and repairs bicycles for students and community members. The co-op moved spaces earlier than other student businesses reopening its doors in Bartlett in the fall of 2018.

Emma McCaldon is a freshman biology major who has been working at the UMass Bike Co-op since fall semester.

“Last semester it was a little slower because I don’t think a lot of people realized that we moved and a lot of the other student businesses were still in the Student Union,” said McCaldon adding, “It’s actually been pretty busy since we’ve come back from break and the space is a lot bigger which is really nice.”

So, what does this all mean for student businesses in Bartlett? While being uprooted has posed many financial and adjustment challenges student businesses are also adapting to their new spaces, as evidenced by the Bike Co-op.

Increased publicity of the move could also be a positive as these businesses which used to be tucked away in the Student Union may have increased foot traffic and visibility in Bartlett, which could aid revenue.

However, budgetary and space constraints could put a damper on business as well. As these businesses strive to maintain their character beloved by their customers and not assimilate too much to UMass Dining, despite the help and renovations from the university.

In the end, these businesses still face a year and a half’s worth of operational challenges before they are rewarded with a new and improved designated space all to themselves.

Reporting from Amherst, Massachusetts, this is Chris McLaughlin.

In covering the economy one learns a set of skills he or she is not usually exposed to, such as taking a story from a business perspective to examine profits and losses and pros and cons surrounding a topic economically.

For my story and angle I chose to focus on student-run businesses here at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. These long running businesses have existed for decades, many dating back to the 1970’s when they first began.

Additionally, many of these businesses (even if they faced an internal move within the confines of the Student Union) never before have encountered the sheer challenge of a complete relocation to an entirely different building. Yet, the much anticipated Student Union renovations forced these business to relocate somewhat against their will, as it was put upon them by the university.

However, it is important to note that these businesses will be among the primary benefactors of the newly renovated space where they will have up to date facilities with added amenities.

Nevertheless, the mantra “no pain, no gain” seems specifically accurate in the case of all these businesses, each with a different take and different experiences coping with the move, having all reopened at different times.

An article in The Massachusetts Daily Collegian looks at some of these businesses last semester, a few before their move out of the Student Union, and it’s interesting to see how things have changed since then.

It was also interesting to hear about the inconveniences these businesses now face that dramatically alter their business model such as the case with Earthfoods. The business can no longer realistically host events and concerts and has to use a shared kitchen, in a not exactly next door location either.

Also hearing how HR Clark detailed their thoughts on a lack of revenue highlighted the hardships these businesses may continue to endure in their new spaces.

Similarly, Anna Ben-Hur of People’s Market explained to me how there were problems in the logistics of moving a coffee shop into a former office space and how the space, despite the best efforts and intentions of UMass, failed to meet the needs of the business.

These included essentials for the business such as the lack of a water line or issues involving heating and ventilation which ruined refrigeration setting People’s Market back on its anticipated reopening costing the business monetarily, due to the need to cover payroll during the delay, and in time, as no new revenue from customers came into the business.

Ben-Hur pointed out to me a clever graph the business made to map out its profits that was posted on its Instagram account, which can be seen here.

However, if there was a bright point in this story I’d say that the UMass Bike Co-op, which moves earlier than its counterparts showed the resiliency of the move on student businesses and how the move had unexpected upsides as well.

The positioning of the bike co-op in a more heavily foot-trafficked space and greater recognition of the move by the student body now that the renovations are underway is helping to draw more clients into the space according to employee Emma McCaldon.

Also, unlike the other two student businesses mentioned the Bike Co-op actually gained more space in the move to sell and repair its bicycles.

In the end, this story taught me how to more effectively cover topics about give and take when it comes to money, the problems associated with displacement, and the pros and cons of taking the hard road to reap the rewards in the end.

Additionally, this story shows the interrelated nature of economy on a micro-level confined to here at this university. It shows how one huge economic project, such as the $25 million Student Union, can have spillover effects and unintended consequences on smaller businesses and lesser beings in the economy who don’t have as much say in big investments, but who still have to function in the shadow of them.

Lastly, it shows the solidarity of these businesses among one another and between their customers and workers. It also demonstrates the strength and resiliency they have to continue their work despite the many obstacles in their path.

See my full Wakelet detailing this story through social media here.