Staff Editorial: Making strides for small businesses

The lineup of new stores and restaurants that are opening around Penn's campus feature a fair amount of independently operated small businesses. They fill an important niche in an area heavily populated by college students who often seek such an alternative, and as such we applaud the University's efforts in this area.

While large-scale chain stores have a lot to offer the Penn community in terms of convenience and inventory, it is extremely important for students to have the opportunity to patronize merchants of a different nature. To the extent that Penn is encouraging these types of small businesses, it is beneficial to our interests and University City's as well.

Milan Marvelous, owner and operator of The Marvelous: Records, Comics and Books, is a perfect example of one of the more colorful personalities whose shop's eclectic nature speaks to a collegiate market, and who serves as an excellent complement to the more corporate nature of a venue like the Penn Bookstore.

On a related note, we appreciate the efforts of the Penn faculty in ordering their books through the Penn Book Center, helping to keep it up and running as a viable alternative; it is the existence of both bookstores and the different choices that they offer that is optimal.

The new arrival of The Chocolate Guy is another positive sign in this area. While it is unclear whether he will be able to maintain his store past Valentine's Day, the level of business that he has received so far certainly indicates that students are responding favorably to his products and personality. Also, the existence of any store in that building is far better than the boarded-up property we were treated to after the departure of Steve Madden.

Hopefully, these steps are the beginning of a trend to make Penn's campus more friendly to these types of small businesses. We look forward to more such openings and encourage the University to continue fostering a positive environment for independent merchants to do business.

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