Harvard Square business owners disappointed students returning at 40 percent

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. — Harvard University announced Monday the campus will reopen for the fall semester but only to 40% of its undergraduate students. Most of those students will be freshmen, and all classes will be online.

The announcement spread quickly among Harvard Square business owners anxious to learn when their customer base will return.

“A huge part of our business here in the Square is Harvard students and people associated with the university,” said Brooke Garber, owner of boutique Mint Julep. “And I’m disappointed. We’d love to have everyone back, but I understand. It’s a huge risk to bring people back.”

Garber's shop had been closed for a difficult three months. When the boutique reopened last month, it was with physical distancing reminders on the floor, a maximum of five shoppers at a time and a Plexiglass divider and hand sanitizer at the register.

“We reopened, and we knew it would be a bit slower,” Garber said. “But it’s been even slower than we would anticipate, because so much of our business in Harvard Square is tourism and Harvard. And neither of those things are happening right now.”

Garber had been watching other local colleges and universities announce their plans, including Boston College and Boston University.

BU will welcome its 40,000 students back to campus in the fall with physical distancing, required face masks and regular Covid-19 testing.

BC will also welcome students back for in-person classes, with larger lecture halls provided online instead. Regular testing will also be provided free of charge for all BC students, faculty and staff before classes begin on Aug. 31, Executive Vice President Michael Lochhead and Provosot and Dean of Students David Quigley said in a letter to the BC community Monday.

Both BU and BC are close to the other location of Garber's business in Brookline's Coolidge Corner.

"We were excited when BC said they were coming back, and Harvard was the one that we were waiting on," Garber said.

Around the corner from her Harvard shop is Felipe's Taqueria, where the owner's son, 17-year-old Jeremy Herrera, was also hoping for a full campus.

“It’s going to be a little less business than we were expecting because usually, the Harvard students are a big chunk of our customers,” Jeremy said. “They’re the main income.”

But at a time when many neighboring businesses are still closed, some Harvard Square shop owners have hope: less business is better than no business at all.

“We’re happy to be open and optimistic about the future,” Garber said. “I’m hopeful that it will come back.”

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