When Duke announced plans last March to open a Barnes & Noble on the new Central Campus, Tom Campbell worried that his landmark bookstore would soon become just another page in the history books.
Campbell, co-owner of the Regulator Bookshop, and local community members feared that the presence of the mega-chain would force the closure of his store--a staple on Ninth Street.
Despite his springtime woes, and trends of declining business on Ninth Street, Campbell said business has perked up during the last six to eight months.
Duke no longer plans to build a large-scale bookstore, and the University is currently working with local merchants and the city planning department in an effort to improve the area.
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"Duke wants to see Ninth Street succeed because we're right on their doorstep," Campbell said.
Although the city has made efforts to revitalize the area, Campbell said that both high rent and a weak market for small enterprises contribute to the difficulty of staying in business.
"I wouldn't want to start a new bookstore right now," he said.
Several businesses have closed on Ninth Street in recent months, but signs for new merchants have gradually popped up in their place.
In her 25 years as owner of Vaguely Reminiscent, a store on Ninth Street, Carol Anderson has witnessed a slew of both successful and failed business ventures.
Some anchor businesses--like the Regulator--have thrived for years, while other vendors open and shut their doors within several months, she said.
"It's kind of like life," she said. "Some people do great and some don't."
Peter Wyman, Trinity '80, is now in the process of opening Studio, an art gallery located next to Bruegger's Bagels.
After living in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., for 27 years, he settled on Ninth Street as the ideal venue for his fourth store.
"Ninth Street is a cool little strip," he said. "I don't think there have been enough cool businesses there."
The owner of Books on Ninth moved to Munich, Germany, to concentrate his attention on his other bookstore.
Blue Corn Cafe plans to expand into the empty venue. Metro 8 Steakhouse will open in the space recently vacated by the eatery Bacchus.
After nearly 80 years on Ninth Street, McDonalds Drug Store closed its doors after its pharmacist died earlier this year. Kerr Drugs sold out to another company several years ago, but kept its sign up until it closed recently.
John Schelp, president of the Old West Durham Neighborhood Association, said the "lack of clarity" surrounding the University's retail plans for Central Campus has recently contributed to the market's uncertainty for local businesses.
He has served as a very vocal critic of what he perceives as a "retail cocoon" being formed on Duke's campus, where vendors are able to avoid property taxes.
The University's economic strength compromises its relationship with the community and threatens town-gown relations, Schelp said.
"These business districts are the living rooms of our neighborhoods," he said. "If our business districts are undermined, then our neighborhoods are undermined."
Schelp said one way to bridge the gap is by expanding the DukeCard availability for in-store purchases at vendors on Ninth Street and other business districts-similar to student dining programs at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and North Carolina State University.
Under the current policy, students can use their DukeCards only to purchase food for tax-exempt delivery from a limited range of vendors.
Duke could also solve a number of problems by reducing the start-up costs for merchants and the 18 percent that Duke profits from each Merchants-on-Points purchase, he added.
"It would be good for Durham because it would have more revenue, and it would be good for town-gown relations because of increased interaction with students leaving campus," Schelp said.
Some students said they were receptive to being able to use food points at off-campus venues.
"This added option would allow students more variety and more convenience, because food points could be used in place of cash or credit," said sophomore Joseph Lucco.
Although he said the $50 certificate each incoming freshman received to use at local eateries was a "step in the right direction," Schelp added that it will not have the same impact on local commerce that changing the DukeCard would.
Schelp and other local activists hope to continue to help coordinate Duke's community efforts by meeting with officials from the University.
"We can help Duke help itself become a better neighborhood," Schelp said.
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