Charleston businesses face the myth of the summer drought, a rumored ebbing and flowing of financial income that shrivels as college students move home for the summer.

Essentially, the myth is simple: As students leave, so does business. However, a few of Charleston’s business owners believe the myth is more fiction than fact.

“Charleston’s a strange bird,” said Ryan Dawson, owner of Jackson Avenue Coffee. “I mean, it’s expected to lose some business in the summer, but we don’t really have it rough.”

Dawson said students make up approximately 30 percent of his business clientele. The other 70 percent comes from Charleston community members.

“We’ve been very lucky to build up a regular clientele that supports us through the summer,” he said.

Dawson and his wife co-own the shop on Jackson and first tested the business market in Charleston after they had both attended Eastern.

The shop opened six years ago in April, and the business has expanded to include open-mike nights, bluegrass performances, jazz and local music scenes.

“Of course you have to do your things to loop people in,” he said. “I look at students like they are a bonus. The music and atmosphere helps to get that 30 percent which supports us throughout the summer, but if it is less, we can still support ourselves.”

“It isn’t too hard to get back into the swing of things. We don’t really see anything until after Labor Day anyway.”

Cindy Titus, executive director of the Chamber of Commerce, said any business owner in Charleston would know that there is a significant decrease in population during the summer.

“They prepare and it gets slow, but nobody closes their doors,” she said.

Traci Boksa, owner of Boxa Grinders Pizza Wings and More, 453 Lincoln Ave., said students make up 60 percent of her business pool.

“We have a very strong Charleston following, but there are a lot of college students here,” she said.

Boksa’s pizzeria bases itself on its homemade-from-scratch appeal. She said because of the fresh quality of their food, they have a strong Charleston following. The only change she makes to the store to prepare for the summer is decreasing operating hours.

“We go from 2:30 a.m. on weekends and midnight weekdays to 10 p.m. in the summer,” she said. “The labor works itself out because some of the staff goes home in the summer.”

However, she warns business owners to be smart and avoid getting left out to dry.

“Welcome the students and do what you can to take care of them,” Boksa said. “If you are strong during the year, you will have nothing to worry about.”

Boxa also takes advantage of campus coupons, offering a $6 large one-topping pizza to students.

“The key is to do market research and understand the whole picture,” Titus said.

Bliss BBQ Works has been using its new menu for a couple of months and specializes in party catering.

Previously, it was one of Charleston’s first coffee houses, Jitters and Bliss.

“We had to transition,” said owner Keith Bliss. “There were just too many coffee houses around, and we couldn’t compete with the big boys like McDonalds and Starbucks.”

Bliss’ conversion to barbecue makes approximately one-third of its profits from student clientele, Bliss said.

He added his catering balances out the student drought in the summer.

“When one is slow, the other picks up,” he said.

Bliss has expanded his business by catering summer events like Fourth of July parties and graduations. Newspaper advertising, fliers and a continuously changing specials menu aimed toward students also help the store.

Bliss also has a warning for business owners wanting to come to Charleston.

“Don’t come,” he said. “But if you decide to come, be smart and do something different in town. We are saturated with restaurants and you don’t want to take on a head-on competition.”

Charleston business owners say the summer drought theory is possible, but it’s not entirely plausible.

“Everybody survives, but it’s not easy,” Titus said.

Krystal Moya can be reached at 581-7945 or at [email protected].