Whether south on Duff, north on Grand or in the heart of Campustown, ISU students impact revenues at Ames businesses.

Local restaurants and retailers first prepared for the initial assault of fall semester and now ready themselves for the double attack of a long holiday weekend and a home football game.

“Iowa State students are a huge part of our community,” said David Maahs, executive director of the Ames Chamber of Commerce. “Students are spending thousands of dollars in Ames. If students are spending $5,000 to $8,000 a year in Ames, especially for those students living in apartments, and that is multiplied by 25,000 students, that has a tremendous impact.”

For apartment-dwellers, desks and storage units were hot items; for residence hall inhabitants, it was the mini-fridge or microwave; but whatever the purchase, all those extra trips to Target on move-in day really added up.

Laura Jaeger, store manager for Target, 320 S. Duff Ave., said that sales increase 10 to 15 percent when school is in session, and move-in time is especially busy. The first week of August, when students are moving into apartments, sales go up 25 percent. This is topped by another 10 percent the third week of August when the residence halls fill up.

The influx requires 50 to 75 additional staff members during the months of July and August, and inventory levels increase with the level of sales, she said.

Campustown businesses see increases as well. Tim Reger, interim manager for Copyworks, 105 Welch Ave., said daily sales almost double during the school year. The Campustown business depends on student walk-in traffic, he said. Inventory increases by about 20 percent and staff by about 40 percent during the school year.

The football crowd also increases sales, he said, especially sales for tailgating and Cyclone apparel items.

Even if the holidays seem far away, thanks to ISU students, Ames retailers are seeing dollar signs in their sleep.

“We see a big difference with the start of the football season,” said Lori Vyhnalek, assistant manager at T Galaxy, 207 Welch Ave. “We see our sales triple to quadruple as students return in the fall. Football season makes our year; it is our Christmas season.”

Though some weekends mean a mass exodus of dirty laundry as students head home, enough of the population stays and brings additional business back to Ames restaurants. Managers at Ames pizza parlors, especially those in Campustown, said sales increase drastically when school starts and during home football games.

Heather Pearson, general manager of Papa John’s, said since school started, business has increased by 50 percent. It increases even more on football weekends.

Managers at other area eateries with eat-in menus say that football weekends can be hectic, but it all depends upon game time and the weather. As it turns colder, tailgating decreases and business improves.

Local businesses are ready.

“We have a game plan just like the teams do,” said John Goetz, general manager at Applebee’s Neighborhood Grill & Bar, 105 Chestnut St.

Businesses will have a chance this weekend to implement their plans during the first home football game.

“This will be a big weekend for the community,” Maahs said. “The University of Northern Iowa football game will bring 40,000 fans into Jack Trice Stadium, and we have activities with the All-American Weekend Friday, Saturday and Sunday.”