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Business & Tech

Local Stores Praise Back-to-School Rush

From mega-stores to restaurants, Three Village shops get a lift from student shoppers.

Many local businesses are gearing up for a big boost as back-to-school shoppers scurry to stock up for the year ahead.

For some, the flood gates have already opened, bringing waves of children and parents desperately seeking pencils, notebooks or a fall wardrobe. Others are waiting for college kids to set up in dorm rooms, in need of their services.

For businesses in Three Village, the season is even more prosperous, as an added jolt from Stony Brook University students sweetens the already-busy period. Out-of-town dorm dwellers often look to local stores for classroom supplies and decorations for their new homes away from home.

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And all campus residents are always on the lookout for food at a discount, giving Three Village eateries a chance to strut their stuff.

At Target in Setauket, the back-to-school season really is Christmas in July.

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"Back to school/back to college is one of the busiest times of year," said Corissa Pirkl, Target's executive team leader. "It's really another holiday for us, like Christmas or Thanksgiving. Back to school is one of the biggest."

The surge starts in July, Pirkl said, and will wind down at the end of this month.

And it's not just school supplies. Though Target does see the expected jump in sales of paper, pens, lunch boxes and backpacks, the increase carries over into other departments like groceries, domestics and bed and bath, she said.

"We get a lot of the students from Stony Brook coming in to shop for everything they need," Pirkl added.

The clothing department at Target picks up as well, a lift Angela Mile also sees at her children's boutique My Wild Child in East Setauket, as kids hustle to get fall fashions.

"We typically see an increase at back-to-school time, but it hasn't started yet," Mile said, adding she expects the rush to come a bit later this year since the weather is still warm and children are still sporting summer styles.

At the Setauket Village Diner, owner Eugene Drepaniotis gets a small increase in deliveries during the fall and throughout the school year, thanks to college kids looking for meals brought to their doorstep. The restaurant reaches out to the university crowd with 10 percent discounts to campus dwellers to help food fit into their budgets, he added.

"It's usually a little bit busier at back-to-school time, but I wouldn't say it doubles or anything," Drepaniotis said. "We're one of the few places around here that delivers, so those go up because a lot of kids are new from out of town and don't have cars."

He added the restaurant advertises in the Stony Brook University bulletin to get its name to local students.

My Wild Child takes a less direct approach to back-to-school advertising. The boutique held a fashion show last month and hired a photographer to capture local kids in the store's upcoming fall styles. Mile said the store staff picked a couple children for the cover of the next advertisement postcard, which not only showcases the new inventory, but announces deep discounts to spring and summer clothes.

Mile said the discounts draw a lot of shoppers and bump up back-to-school increases, which should last until the end of September.

And though businesses big and small are still lagging because of the economy, the back-to-school rush has continued for some stores through the slump.

"Even over the last few years, we have seen the guests come in for what they need for school," Pirkl said. "We haven't felt the economy hurt back-to-school time in this store."

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