Syracuse University students should make an effort to shop local.

This holiday season, campus community members should opt to ride the free Connective Corridor bus downtown instead of traveling to Destiny USA.

Spending your holiday cash locally ensures your money stays in the city’s economy and supports area job creation.

The Onondaga Small Business Development Center, which helps entrepreneurs turn ideas into reality, helped create more than 300 jobs last year. But, going to Destiny USA can hurt local startups that support many jobs.

“Somebody opens a restaurant in Destiny, and now the corner restaurant that serves a similar menu struggles,” said Mike Cartini, a certified business adviser who works with the small business development center.

Luckily, Syracuse has a bustling downtown area. The area boasts retail boutiques, unique dining, and outdoor activities that make downtown a great spot to be. This holiday season features some special window art displays and a new 10-foot tall star in Perseverance Park.

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“Downtown Syracuse has a lot to offer,” said Alice Maggiore, communications director for the Downtown Committee of Syracuse.

SU offers a free Connective Corridor bus that runs from College Place to downtown Syracuse every 30 minutes. That means it’s incredibly easy to get off campus without searching for or paying for parking, or using an Uber.

Austin Zwick, an assistant teaching professor at Syracuse University, and a former city planner in Toronto, said foot traffic is everything.

The more SU students go downtown, the better the area will be. An increase in the overall foot traffic would be great for the city as, the more people spend their time in an area, more goods are exchanged, and more businesses pop up.

As downtown Syracuse continues to grow, students have an opportunity to spend time and dollars where they really matter.

Patrick Linehan is a sophomore newspaper and online journalism and policy studies dual major. His column runs biweekly. He can be contacted at [email protected].

Published on November 28, 2018 at 7:08 pm