Ten years ago, one popular dessert shop made a smart move to cater to its loyal customers.
In a front page article published in The Chronicle on March 28, 2002, The Mad Hatter’s Bake Shop officially decided to relocate to a shopping center near East Campus at the end of the month. The bakery was located in the First Union Plaza on Main Street but decided to move into a space at the intersection of Broad and Main streets.
Mad Hatter’s shift leader Offen Zilla said the rationale behind the move was to cater more people in the Durham community, particularly University students. Although Mad Hatter’s make occasional sales to food service staff at the Duke Hospital, student purchases accound for 12 to 13 percent of total sales. The closer location will make the bakery even more accessible to students and faculty alike. The move, however, will also bring Mad Hatter’s closer to other popular dessert shops such as Ben and Jerry’s ice cream shop and Francesca’s Dessert Café, which may spark stiffer competition.
In another article published on March 24, 1986, the Safe Rides program hosted by the Associated Students of Duke University will begin a four-week program. The program, which ran until April 19, cost $1,000 for the semester. Although requests to the University for funding and free vans were denied, the price of the program was paid for through donations from Chrysler, Harris Incorporated, and a $400 gift from four sororities on campus. Safe Ride uses a combination route and dispatch system for four nights a week—Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday— and was run by Student Volunteer drivers. In addition, students could call the service from off-campus locations to receive a ride back to campus. ASDU hoped to post a route schedule around campus and in local bars in the area.
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