The Marketplace at Thomas Hall averaged 300 to 350 customers in its inaugural week with consumer interest varying from student to student..

“Half the people I have talked to said the convenient center was good, and the others say there isn’t much there,” Roshen Chacko, a junior physical education major, said.

The Marketplace, which began construction in fall of 2002, opened at 8 a.m. Feb. 24 in the north end of the Thomas Dining Center.

“I was very pleased with the first week. We had a good first week,” Danita Timmons, assistant director of Panther Dining, said. “And those numbers should only go up.”

Student feedback, Timmons said, has been positive for the most part, with compliments about the late operating hours and ability to use dining dollars.

“I like a lot of the products and it is nice that it’s accessible,” Jonathan Monts, a junior physical education major, said.

But not every student left pleased.

“I’ve been there, but they really didn’t have anything I needed,” Shelly Severs, a junior elementary education major, said.

Jessica McLaughlin, a junior elementary education major, has not made the trip to the marketplace yet.

“I probably won’t make it down there unless I really need something,” she said. “Otherwise, I’ll just go to Wal-Mart.”

But competing with off-campus establishments is not a goal for the Marketplace. Timmons said university bylaws state it can’t carry some products seen in stores like Wal-Mart or Casey’s General Store.

“There’s a fine line there, but the ultimate decision is above me (on what products the Marketplace will sell),” she said.

Mark Hudson, director of housing and dining, said he had not seen the official numbers yet, but that the university took a “soft opening” approach with the marketplace.

“Given that it is located in a residential community, we knew that news of it opening would spread by word of mouth,” he said. “We let people trickle in so we can work out any bugs we may have.” The biggest student complaint has been the inability to enter the marketplace from inside the dining center.

“I’m already here in my pajamas and I don’t want to go out there,” Monts said.

Michael Blankenberger, a freshman industrial technology major, also found the outdoor entrance inconvenient.

“There’s no point to have to go outside if you’re already inside — I thought that kind of sucked,” he said.

Despite a few complaints, Timmons said the numbers were what she expected.

“I didn’t know what to expect, it was my first endeavor like this,” she said. “But I was surprised by the turnout.”