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KANSAN.COM
NEWS
Online shopping not harming Mass St. businesses
EVAN LAY
@KansanNews
Unlike some national retailers, Massachusetts Street businesses say they don't feel pressure from online shopping.
File photo/KANSAN
Retailers and restaurants across the country have struggled in the past year. It seems every week there's a new report of a retailer closing stores or filing for bankruptcy.
The list of big-name retailers planning to close stores in the coming year is ever growing: JCPenney, Sears and Kmart, Macy's and Abercrombie & Fitch, just to name a few.
Many have attributed the fall of retailers to the prevalence of online shopping, especially with sites like Amazon. For example, over the last two years, Amazon stock has more than doubled and the S&P Retail stock index is down 15 percent, according to Google Finance, as of March 15.
Restaurants have been no exception. The Restaurant Performance Index, a composite index run by the National Restaurant Association, has fallen over the last two years.
But this market downturn is not just limited to Wall Street businesses. Massachusetts Street in downtown Lawrence is mostly made up of two types of businesses: retailers and restaurants.
Here in Lawrence, a few businesses on Massachusetts Street have shuttered recently, including TCBY Yogurt and Billy Vanilly. Hotbox Cookies also moved from its Massachusetts Street location.
Corey Rimmel, owner of Hotbox, said the downtown
store was bigger than they needed and that the new location at the Oread Hotel was more centrally located for cookie deliveries.
These events have raised some concern regarding downtown. However, Massachusetts Street businesses don't seem to be in line with national trends.
"I think Mass Street is doing fine," said Morgan Mattison-Fellers, owner of Eccentricity, a women's boutique downtown, and president of Downtown Lawrence Inc.
Mattison-Fellers said most of the businesses downtown that she had talked to had a great holiday season.
The numbers agree. Lawrence finished 2016 with the best sales tax growth in all
of Kansas, a great indicator of retail strength in the area. For perspective, Kansas' most recent economic growth numbers are above the national average.
Katlyn Conroy, manager at ACME T-shirt shop, had a similar sentiment.
"From my perspective, working here in the corner of downtown, I haven't personally noticed a really big drop in [crowds]," Conroy said. "Of all people to look out their window and tell if the downtown crowds are changing, ACME's location on the corner of 9th and Massachusetts leaves her pretty well qualified to make that assessment, she said.
Neither her nor Matti-
son-Fellers seemed worried
about recent closings.
Mattison-Fellers emphasized that stores can close for a multitude of reasons. She mentioned that most of the businesses that had closed "just didn't have anybody that wanted to do it or got burnt out. So it wasn't necessarily, for the most part, that they felt like their business was plummeting."
Conroy felt that while a few stores had closed, she emphasized that it's the normal course of business and that businesses open and close regularly.
"I feel like some of the really staple places that have been here forever are still here. You have really cool places like Ladybird opening up and they can do well," Conroy said.
setts Street's success, according to both of them, is the experience downtown brings.
"This is the destination spot. When people come into town, this is where they're coming," Mattison-Fellers said.
A big part of Massachu-
According to Conroy, the experience is what's helped keep downtown from being consumed by online shopping.
"Mass Street itself is kind of like this cool enigma of local, kind of like the heart of the city. There are probably more people drawn to that, and are more likely to go into these stores and spend their money than if they were just to say, 'Okay, I'm just going to order this online,'" she said.
Part of what has differentiated Massachusetts Street from the rest, according to Conroy, is the litany of specialty stores.
"We always have good traffic because it's something that's really different," she said. "You can order custom shirts online, but can you be up close and personal designing with somebody and be real particular about it and see your shirt in person?"
The in-person experience is especially important to keep people coming in stores instead of buying online.
Boone Bradley, professor of finance at the University talked about what makes Massachusetts Street different and special.
"Mass Street is full of independent shops where you can't find the same item with a barcode and a 10 second search online, and you can have the experience of getting personalized service or knowing a store owner by name," Bradley said. "That's something Target or Amazon can't offer. Not that being a retailer on Massachusetts Street is easy, but I think a certain type of person or business can thrive there."
As for students, Mattson-Fellers emphasized that spending dollars here goes to help our community.
"Again, it's your sales tax. That money is going elsewhere when you're not spending your money in your own town," she said.
Engineering hires associate dean to focus on diversity
▶ HAILEY DIXON
@_hailey_dixon
Hannah Edelman/KANSAN The School of Engineering at the University hired Andrew Williams to be the school's new associate dean for diversity, equity and inclusion.
To expand on creating more diversity and inclusiveness, the School of Engineering recently hired Andrew Williams, professor and director of Humanoid Engineering & Intelligent Robotics Lab from Marquette University, as the school's associate dean for diversity, equity and inclusion.
"This would be the first time ever that the School of Engineering has had an associate dean for diversity, equity and inclusion," said Arvin Agah, School of Engineering associate dean for research and graduate programs.
Other positions like this
have sprung up at the University, like one within the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences.
"I can say that it is exciting to see the College [of Engineering] and schools move in this direction," Jennifer
Hamer, acting vice provost of diversity, equity and inclusion, said in an email. "The KU community will benefit from the attention that multiple leaders can bring to diversity, equity, and inclusion.I look forward
to working with him and collaborating on goals shared across units."
Agah said that the School of Engineering completed a national search to find someone to fill this position.
"He does have a Ph.D from KU, so he is very familiar with the student body at KU," Agah said.
Agah said that Williams will lead strategies, policies and administration of diversity and inclusion, advise and assist the dean of the School of Engineering in inclusion policies and also work on diversity-related recruitment and retention.
"He has a superb record when it comes to work with underrepresented groups," Agah said. "That's why we
were very excited to have him join us."
For Evelyn Vila, a transfer student majoring in mechanical engineering from Overland Park, she said that she hopes the School of Engineering will now focus more on programs that center around women.
"Since I am a student of color, I feel like that's not something that's an issue," Vila said. "It's mostly being a woman in engineering. It's something that you just really don't see, and like as a transfer student, that's something that's even harder for me because it's already harder for me to make friends."
Agah said Williams is expected to join the University
in the new position in July.
Agah said the School of Engineering is working on expanding diversity efforts in the graduate student programs.
"We've had a lot of focus in the past on undergraduate students, and diversity among undergrads, but we would like to do a better job with diversity among our graduate students," Agah said. "So this new person will be able to help assist us sort of recruiting and retention of graduate students from underrepresented population."
Agah said that in addition to his associate dean position, Williams will likely teach within the School of Engineering.
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