Moscow”s fresh face – New businesses cater to younger Moscow population

Moscow”s Main Street has new additions every year.

Most of the new shops and restaurants show that the Moscow business scene is embracing college students as primary consumers.

College students tend to be trend setters, and Moscow”s restaurant market is developing to match student preferences. In recent years, popular trends have shifted away from cheap, bland food and fashion to newer, fresher products. Moscow is starting to show that shift as well.

More students are taking an interest in smaller, more specialized stores as well as thrift shops and coffee houses. The days of drive-thru eating and ordering is slowly coming to an end.

In 2013, the shop Ampersand Oil & Vinegar opened next to The Breakfast Club. Just last year a couple and their friend opened Humble Burger, which is a restaurant focused on using locally sourced ingredients without preservatives. Not too long ago, downtown Moscow also welcomed a gastropub and microbrewery called Tapped.

The shift in business shows that the Moscow economy is conscious of the effect University of Idaho students have as common consumers. Stores downtown, like One World Cafe, even offer specials for students who hold study groups in the shop.

Stores that don”t embrace college students to help build profit margins will fall behind.

This generation of students is one of the most ingrained in social media to date. They are proficient on Instagram, Facebook, Amazon and Yelp and they aren”t afraid to voice their opinions over the Internet. When word gets out about a business among college students, the entire campus will know about it.

The students themselves are also changing along with the community. Moscow is a bustling, vibrant, beautiful town and more college graduates are choosing to stay here rather than move to a big city. It isn”t an exaggeration when people say they fell in love with Moscow.

UI”s family-owned businesses that occupy most of downtown are a pleasant change from other cities. Although some big-box stores are moving in, some are moving out, too. Moscow is keeping its close-knit feel while bringing in new businesses to cater to students.

Moscow is special, and new family-owned businesses will only add to its special feel.

It”s easy to imagine Moscow and UI as two separate communities, but both influence each other. Without students, Moscow wouldn”t have its vibrant downtown and without that downtown, students wouldn”t   be as invested in their community as they are.

– CW