The holiday season has arrived as well as the end of the NIU semester. With the recent downturn in the economy, students who pack their bags and head home leave some DeKalb businesses uncertain about holiday sales.

“With the economy slowing down and talk of recession and spending, it’s hard to tell how DeKalb will fare,” said Scott Ellenberger, President of the DeKalb Chamber of Commerce. Ellenberger said there is a little bit of an impact when students leave DeKalb on winter break but more so for student-oriented businesses.

The effect of students leaving for Christmas is fairly minor from a retailer’s standpoint, which is day-to-day. Monthly, sales balance out when students come back in mid-January, he said.

“For general community retailers, what slippage lost will be made up for in the community,” Ellenberger said.

Norm Chavoski, manager of Molly’s Eatery and Drinkery, 1022 W. Lincoln Highway, thinks that business will remain consistent during the holiday season.

Chavoski said that when NIU students leave for home, students whose parents live in DeKalb come back from other schools.

“We have a different route,” he said. “Residents come out, and there’s a lot of college kids that live in DeKalb that go to U of I and ISU.”

Students might go home for a couple of days, but they come back and maybe come in three to four days a week, Chavoski added.

Robert Goering, co-owner of Andy’s Tavern, 317 E. Lincoln Highway, already has seen a decrease in business.

There has been a slight decrease in business since the terrorist attacks but the holiday season should be consistent, Goering said.

Goering believes with any break a diminishment in sales can be expected.

“It depends on how you diversify your markets,” he said.

Mike Hillman, owner of Domino’s Pizza in the Village Commons, 901 Lucinda Ave., said low sales during the holiday season are normal.

Hillman and many of the Village Commons businesses can look forward to relaxation during the holiday season.

A lot of businesses close down during the holiday season because there are just not enough students, Hillman said.