Kansas State University - Royal Purple Yearbook (Manhattan, KS)

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fi' ,.v..,,,,h f ' ga.. Jessica Reyes, graduate studeht ih literature, plays oh the swing set ih the park with daughter Beiia. Theres that cheesy part of me that wants to say everything I do is for Bella, and in a lot of ways it's true. As a kid I doh't think I realized that about my parents. Reyes said, Erin Poppe 11

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OPENW BUSINESS With more than 30 places to dine, drink, or dance, Aggieville was flourishing with businesses. However, it had noticeably been struggling to keep all of their bars open. This might have seemed impossible because of all the Aggieville attractions that bring students, families, and Manhattan residents to the popular six block strip. According to the Aggieville Business Association, Aggieville had been around since 1889 providing a wide variety of businesses. Aggieville was named after the original college in Manhattan-the Kansas State Agricultural College Aggies. Even though Aggieville was one of the most well-known places in Manhattan, especially by the students, owners often struggled to keep their bars open. According to Seth Stone, manager at one of the newest bars in Aggieville, Taco Lucha, people always want something new and fresh. There becomes a saturation point. Unless the bar has something really good to offer, people just get tired of the same thing night after nightf' A number of bars had opened and closed over a five- month period. Included in this list were PI's, Ale House, and The Purple Pig. Rumors of other bars closing and being bought out circulated throughout Aggieville. Bars that had opened in the last few months include Taco Lucha, The Goose, Aggie Station, and Mojo's. Shannon Collins, part owner of Aggie Station, a bar that opened in the Spring 2012 semester, noticed the openings and closings of so many bars. I think the economy has had some effect on this happening, but in this area, we are fortunate enough with the college and Fort Riley to keep people coming inf' he said. Collins said some bars closed due to the lack of originality and the stress and time involved with operating a bar. Aggieville's employees had other opinions as to why many of the bars were failing. Bartender Keri Rausch, senior in kinesiology, said that the reason for so many closings is because of poor management. Rausch worked at several bars in Aggieville, and was a bartender at Iohnny Kaw's. She believed poor management and poor business decisions were the reason bars closed. The amount of people in the bars is consistent, it's the management and how people are treated that become the reason for the businesses to closef' Clay Schilling, senior in animal science, said. When I go to the bars, it's usually packed. l don't really miss the ones that closed, thoughf' Collins and Stone both said they hadn't seen a decrease in the amount of customers. Collins and Stone both agreed that when K-State students were on break, the local community started making more of an appearance. The community is scared to come once the school is in session, but once it isn't, they are here right awayf' Stone said. Collins reiterated that by saying during the summer, business was never slow because of the permanent Manhattan residents. Whether it was because business was bad, poor management decisions were made or the competition in Aggieville was too tough, as soon as one bar closed, another one opened. aggieville stability E ,