EAST LANSING, Mich. - Walk down Grand River Avenue in East Lansing today, and the difference from just a few weeks ago is hard to miss. With the majority of Michigan State University students headed home for the summer, local businesses are feeling the impact.
WATCH BELOW: EAST LANSING BUSINESS REACTS TO GHOST TOWN:
Pinball Pete's has been a fixture in East Lansing for decades.
"We've been down here in East Lansing for 50 years, one of the longest running business left in this area," owner Ted Arnold said.
While the sound of pinball machines and arcade games still fills the air, Arnold said the energy is completely different than during the school year.
"We miss the students because they drive the bus here in East Lansing," Arnold said.
That economic engine carries around 50,000 students during the semesters. When those students leave town, the impact ripples through nearly every business along Grand River.
"The town basically shuts down," Arnold said.
Pinball Pete's is able to adapt by drawing in local families during the summer months.
"We're a little different than, per se, a bar location because we do get kids that come in when their summer comes. In the summer, we have kids that come in that might be driving mom and dad crazy looking for entertainment," Arnold said.
But Arnold acknowledged the struggles facing other businesses nearby — particularly those that rely heavily on the student population.
"I know bar owners that are making staff cuts, changing their hours, changing their business, just because when the college kids clear out of town, it changes everything," Arnold said.
The summer slowdown is a predictable reality that East Lansing businesses face every year.
"That's just the reality in East Lansing now," Arnold said.
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