As Iowa State students gear up for the end of the year and head home for the summer, Ames-area businesses prepare for a decline in sales.

Many businesses in Ames, and especially in Campustown, see a drop in business during the summer months due to students’ departure.

Domino’s Pizza, 118 Hayward Ave., is one business that reports less profit in the summer.

“There’s a decent decline in business; probably half our business because half of the population of the town is gone,” said Patrick Shoemaker, manager of Domino’s.

To prepare for the financial loss, Shoemaker said the restaurant conserves money earned during the school year.

“It’s not a huge issue for us,” he said. “Because we know our business will decline in the summer months, we hold back some of our profits from the fall to prepare.”

Domino’s can preserve money in the summer by offering fewer discounts, Shoemaker said. Instead of offering $5 or $6 off of a pizza, they will limit discounts to $3 or $4, he said.

Coe’s Campus Flowers, 303 Welch Ave., also notices a difference in summer business.

“We do slow down, but we still get a lot of business from offices on campus, and not all students do actually leave for the summer,” said Diane Reidemann, manager of Coe’s.

Reidemann said she orders fewer flowers in the summer due to decreased demand for them.

“We use a few less roses, and all my other orders decrease a little, but I don’t have to cut my order in half by any means,” she said.

Robert Josephson, part-owner of Mayhem Collectibles, 2532 Lincoln Way, said his business drops off in the summer as well but has been on the up-swing in recent years.

“We drop off about 20 to 30 percent, but in previous years we have been doing a little better, I think due to more kids staying around for summer school,” he said.

Even with the drop in business, Josephson said he does not lose much revenue.

“We don’t do too bad because we have some summer events that help in balancing out profit,” he said. “Last year, we had the Boy Scouts of America in town, and they showed up, which helped subsidize the loss from students.”

Josephson’s store distributes special flyers in the fall to attract business once classes resume, he said.

“We do sale fliers and offer promotional items,” he said. “Mostly we try to attract the new students who will be around for the next four years.”