Bozeman Businesses Depend on Students More Than You Think

On Feb. 9, MSU’s Office of the Registrar published a report stating that enrollment for the 2026 spring semester was a little over 16,000 students.

This enormous influx of young, excited potential customers is any local business’s dream. While some students may choose to explore MSU’s expanding campus, many spend their Saturdays on historic Main Street, where a healthy number of local businesses rely on their wallets.

Though students may only make up a fraction of Bozeman’s total population, their economic impact is substantial. This is most noticeable when students leave for breaks and over the summer as many businesses grow quiet.

“Spring break brings a noticeable dip in traffic,” said Adon Ash, the general manager of Steep Mountain Teahouse on Main Street. “There’s a bit of a transitional period between the end of the spring semester and the start of summer tourism, where business slows down a bit.”

According to Ash, when students are in town, the difference is clear. “We see some of our busiest periods in the weeks leading up to and during finals,” they said. “The teahouse is often full for most of the day with students settling in to study or meet with classmates.”

While Steep Mountain Teahouse sees more business near finals as students seek a warm drink and cozy atmosphere to study in, another downtown business — Sacks Thrift experiences a different uptick near the semester’s end.

According to Sacks’ Program Manager Nicole Buettner, the thrift store sees an increase in donations, likely from students moving out.

Buettner said she noticed the difference in customers after moving her store to Bozeman. “When we had a store in Belgrade, it was a very different demographic and students were not as numerous,” she said.

Despite Bozeman’s reputation as a summer tourism destination, this doesn’t seem to bring as much business as students do during the spring and fall, according to Ash. However, not every business owner says they are reaping the rewards that students could bring.

Kirk Cardoso and Elizabeth Valenzuela, the owners of Fully Loaded Tacos on College Street, have expressed growing concern about the lack of interest from college students.

“I would say that our customer base is 30 to 40 percent students,” Cardoso said. “We’re right here on College Street, right behind the dorms, and it's quiet.”

Given that the restaurant only opened in October 2025, this likely reflects the novelty of the business rather than a lack of student interest.

To get more of the student body interested, Fully Loaded Tacos has been active on social media platforms such as TikTok and Instagram, which Cardoso said has improved business.

China Reevers, the general manager of Country Bookshelf, said she sees an even smaller demographic of student customers. According to her, roughly 15 percent of sales are to students.

This was much lower than I anticipated, as my friends and I often frequented Country Bookshelf to find required books for classes. Still, the store remains a local staple, and its success shows that even businesses with less student traffic benefit from MSU’s presence.

Students aren’t just customers, though — they’re also part of the workforce that keeps Bozeman’s economy running.

According to Ash, MSU also provides an eager workforce of students.

“College students often bring curiosity, adaptability and a willingness to learn,” he said. “They also tend to be excited about community spaces, which helps create a vibrant and welcoming atmosphere for guests.”

Ash estimates that as many as a third of employees are students. At Sacks, Buettner said one-fourth. Reevers said Country Bookshelf only has a handful of student employees.

“Because many employees are students, their availability tends to shift around academic schedules, with large groups requesting time off during the same periods — like winter break, spring break and finals week,” Ash said.

Reevers and Buettner both said something similar — their employees' schedules move around breaks and exams, but they did not claim it caused any issues.

Buettner said they offer volunteering opportunities instead of shifts, which helps them work around the hours the employee can fill that week.

Despite the uncertainty students bring — whether it be where they choose to meet for lunch or what their work schedule looks like — without this small pocket of the City’s overall population, Bozeman’s economy certainly wouldn’t look the same.