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Gown measures town
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Some college students enjoy the downtown Gallery Hops.
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Published: November 13, 2008
Winston-Salem might not technically be what you'd call a "college town." A town's population must be at least a 20 percent students to acquire that appellation, according to author Blake Gumprecht.
But our town does have quite a few places for college students to hang out when they're not studying. Coffee shops. Clubs. Restaurants. Bookstores. And, for those who are of age, bars.
Whether or not it has enough places is up for debate.
Jenni Hoffmann, a junior at Salem College, thinks there needs to be more to do here for college students. "I come from Chapel Hill, which is built around the campus," she said. "This is just not the same." Winston-Salem is a step up for her friend Sarah Brannock, also a junior at Salem, "I'm from Mount Airy, so there's a lot more to do here than back home," she said. "But that's not saying much."
They agree the city lacks an active student-friendly nightlife, starting with more places to grab grub.
"We need a lot more food choices here staying open late," Brannock said. "We have class during the day, then study, and most places close at 10 (p.m.), 11 tops."
Hoffmann said that she would like more coffee shops, small theaters and places where small bands can play. And if there are places like that, Brannock said, "We just don't hear about them all."
Hoffman and Brannock were sitting on a couch at Chelsee's Coffee Shop on Trade Street, so they know about local coffee shops (Krankies and Brew Nerds are also nearby). Down the street is The Garage, one of the city's best venues for small bands (though most nights it's only open to the 21-and-older crowd). Up the street is the Millennium Center for larger acts and events.
To see a play in a small theater there are such places as the Winston-Salem Theater Alliance. If you're looking for a non-mainstream movie, there are occasional screenings at places such as the Werehouse, which also offers live music and art exhibits.
Charlie Owen, a graduate student at UNC School of the Arts, lists such favorite places as 6th and Vine, Finnigan's Wake, and the art galleries and shops on Trade Street. Krankies Coffee, he added, "has a Seattle-esque coffeehouse atmosphere" and he runs into UNCSA, WSSU and Wake students there.
Closer to Wake Forest University, Simplyummy -- a coffee shop/bistro tucked away in Reynolda Village -- draws a fair number of college students. Mary Poulos has owned the shop for five years. "What keeps us busy are students from Wake Forest. Students can walk here," she said with a laugh. "Proximity is everything. They come in for the coffee and stay for the free Wi-Fi."
Gena Knighten, the manager of Chelsee's, also lists free Wi-Fi highly among things that draw students. The shop gets crowded with students wanting to get off campus and get some quiet time to study. During exam time, she said, "There have been times where all the tables were full and they were wrestling for space on the floors."
Brandon Barners, a 27-year-old law student, was among the Wake students at Simplyummy during lunchtime, many of them with laptops open.
The bubble
He lives off campus, and he likes to frequent Finnigan's Wake. "I go out about once a week -- and I need it," he said. "I go to the same place, because that is where most of my friends go. It has been my experience being a student in Winston-Salem that students, at least from Wake, tend to focus on downtown. I call it the Winston-Salem Bubble."
Katie Gomez, a 21-year old senior at Wake, agreed with Barners. She is a native of New York, so she did not expect Winston-Salem to have comparative nightlife. Still, it was initially frustrating to have so few off-campus options.
"I think students arriving at Wake Forest want more contact with the community, and the school just doesn't make it easy for that to happen," Gomez said. "It is especially tough for freshmen. You have to live on campus. You are underage for most clubs. And it is hard to go anywhere"
"I still remember, as a sophomore, going to my first Gallery Hop and just going, ‘WOW!'"
Gomez stressed the importance for younger students of the assorted downtown events. She and Barners agree that better transportation, provided by Wake Forest or by the city, would help students enjoy a broader array of opportunities spread around the city.
"I am a senior, and I only just visited the (UNC) School of the Arts," Gomez said. "It was wonderful."
Jasmine Glass and Latessa Sharpe, both 18-year-old freshmen at WSSU, mentioned going to the gym and to intramural sporting events -- and complained about WSSU needing a proper shuttle service for students. Freshmen are not allowed to have cars on campus.
"If you want to go somewhere, you have to depend on the shuttle that's here," Glass said, emphasizing that the shuttles did not meet student demand. She added that, outside of going to a few clubs, she was underwhelmed by the opportunities available to students under 21.
"There could be more to do."
Henry Montgomery, a 23-year-year-old WSSU junior, neither drinks nor smokes, which keeps him out of the clubs. "I go to friends' houses, go to the gym at the YMCA … go hiking," he said. He and some of his friends also attend downtown events and races at Bowman Gray Stadium.
Trivia and more
Some businesses cater to the college crowd. Foothills Brewing Company on Fourth Street draws students with Thursday night trivia and music on weekends. The trivia questions are largely geared toward college students and the 20-to-30-year old crowd, with questions covering such topics as Shakespeare, geography, music and The Simpsons. "We get a good crowd," said manager Heidi Schwartz. "We get them from all schools." Last Thursday, there were 45 teams with up to four people each playing trivia.
"It's a good starting point for the rest of the evening," said Alex Davis, a recent Wake Forest graduate who was back in Winston-Salem last week for homecoming. As undergraduates, he and several friends regularly attended the trivia night.
Amanda Sattler, 28, also feels that entertainment opportunities in Winston-Salem are improving for college students. She received a master's degree from UNCG in 2006, but she commuted from Winston-Salem. "It's gotten a lot better," she said, "with Trade Street and the Millennium Center, Elliott's Revue and Finnigan's Wake." Gallery Hop, held monthly on Trade Street, also helps, she said.
But she said that Greensboro still offers more for students. "There's more to do there, with more clubs and concerts, and places to go on Tate Street and Elm Street."
Sarah Brannock pointed out that while many students at Salem College have cars, many do not. And high gas prices earlier this year often dissuaded cash-strapped students with cars from venturing too far afield.
Better and more public transportation would help those students, she said.
Local business should do more to attract college students, Knighten said. In addition to free Wi-Fi for paying customers, she also offers a 10 percent discount for college students with IDs.
Charles Hardesty, the manager of Forsyth Seafood Grill, said that he sometimes gives away discount coupons on the WSSU campus to attract more college students.
"It's a population I think we ignore," Knighten said. "Three-fourths of the year, we've got a huge college population here."
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