On Cloud 9 was one of the only clothing store options in the city, leaving students with few places to add to their wardrobes.
As chilly winter winds dissolve into warmer spring weather, Amber Clark is beginning her hunt for summer clothing.
Unfortunately, her affordable options in College Park are limited to just one store.
“Besides University [Shop], this is the only clothes place,” the sophomore business marketing major said as she browsed discount racks at Rugged Wearhouse in the College Park Shopping Center. “It would be cool if College Park had other random shops.”
Her problem, finding a large-scale, affordable clothing store within walking distance of the campus, afflicts many students. The city has lacked such a store for the past 20 years, said Lea Callahan, Downtown College Park Management Association president and ZIPS Dry Cleaners owner.
As the city enjoys a surge of new restaurants, other types of retail struggle because of high rent prices, paid parking, lack of space and the seasonal fluctuation of students living in the city, Callahan said.
“There’s a few clothing stores downtown,” city Economic Development Coordinator Michael Stiefvater. “But certainly not Forever 21 or anything like that or anything popular.”
There’s not enough space for larger stores as new developments continue to crop up, Stiefvater said. Instead, retailers pass College Park by in favor of cities like Silver Spring.
Because College Park is so close to Washington, clothing stores often can’t afford the high rents required to stay in the city, Callahan said. Metered parking also deters potential customers, she added. In the College Park Shopping Center, the maximum meter time is two hours.
“When you go out to eat, you know it’s going to be anywhere from a half-hour to an hour,” Callahan said. “But when you go shopping, you don’t know how long it’s going to be. Nobody wants to pay $17.50 for an expired meter.”
Meters were originally implemented because students would park for hours while they went to the bars, tying up spots needed by potential customers of other stores or restaurants, Callahan said. But now, people don’t come to College Park because of the paid parking, instead choosing to frequent nearby malls where they can park for free.
At Rugged Wearhouse, a store manager said customers complain about parking on a daily basis.
And with College Park’s seasonal droughts in business during school breaks, stores struggle to scrape by. During the two weeks in August before students return, all the retailers are “nail-biting,” Callahan said, and some even have to shut down.
Despite these issues, some stores have found ways to survive in the city. Rugged Wearhouse has sold its discounted clothing in College Park for eight years now, the manager said.
“I was blown away when they opened up — I didn’t think they would survive as long as they have,” Callahan said.
The store’s cheap prices are a draw for financially strapped students, the store manager said. At Rugged Wearhouse, he said, nothing costs more than $24.
“Students want fashionable products, but they want affordable prices,” he said. “They have student loans — they want to get a T-shirt for $5.99.”
Although the manager said students make up about 80 percent of the store’s customer base, Callahan said the store does well because it also appeals to permanent residents, such as those living in University Park and Langley Park.
At On Cloud 9, the pricey boutique on College Avenue, almost all of the store’s customers are students, said store manager Briana Abedi.
“We’ve had very few locals come and shop,” she said. “I think restaurants definitely do better here because they market to everyone.”
Several students said they would appreciate more clothing store options. Clark, who often shops at Forever 21 in Washington, said a small shopping mall in the city would be ideal.
But Rachel Muccino, a junior psychology and Spanish major, said department stores in the city aren’t needed because students can easily take a short trip to The Mall at Prince Georges. Instead, she said, the city should develop a niche market of secondhand stores, including shops where students and residents could sell their unwanted clothing.
For bigger stores to move into the city, new developments would be required, Stiefvater said.
Some stores expressed interest in the proposed East Campus development, but after that was scrapped, Stiefvater said there weren’t plans for more clothing stores to debut in the city. Most of the recent development proposals are for large-scale hotels or multifamily housing units rather than clothing stores, which Callahan called “the bottom of the barrel.”
“I think most of these kids who come down here, they don’t need to go clothes shopping,” she said. “And the pretty well-to-do ones go over to Chevy Chase and have mom and dad’s credit card.”
That’s why restaurants will continue to dominate Route 1, Callahan said.
“If anything, the kids have to eat.
