Downtown businesses optimistic as ECU students return amid construction

GREENVILLE, N.C. (WITN) - It’s that time of year again, the streets of Downtown Greenville are getting busier as ECU students move back.

Local businesses say they’re excited, even though construction work covers some roadways in the area, which could be confusing for new students who want to find their shops.

Even with classes weeks away, Uptown Nutrition owner Ariana Niehouse says the influx of people arriving has already begun.

“We’ve started to see some of our regulars coming back, which is really cool,” she explained.

Cook’s Closet is a new downtown shop that opened up over the summer. Their owner says he’s ready for students from out of state to see what they have.

“The summer has been a blessing, but when the kids come back, that’s when the real business happens,” said Cook’s Closet owner, Joseph Cook. “We’re really excited about it.”

His excitement comes with the roadblock of construction in multiple areas where students walk around to find new spots to shop.

“They continue to just tear up road after road, hitting the same spot over and over, it seems like,” he said.

Both Cook’s Closet and Uptown Nutrition say they’re worried that first year students won’t be so eager to try out businesses downtown because of all the construction.

However, 5th Street Hardware says even though it’s annoying, there’s still plenty of parking and walking options for people to shop in the area. They say they’re not worried about hungry customers not being able to locate them.

“That construction shouldn’t make you not wanna come down here,” their Operations Manager, Courtney Withers, explained. “If anything, you should want to support those local businesses more.”

Businesses told us that they expect more and more foot traffic as students continue to move back this month. ECU’s first day of class is August 25th.