Imagine a typical weekend in the village, people going to Dill Street, BW3's and enjoying the weekend by relaxing and having a few drinks.
Seems perfect, right?
Not quite.
Some businesses in the area have had trouble with students and the weekend celebrations that go on in the village, one of those businesses being Village Pantry, open 24 hours and located at 1524 W. University.
Because of problems with people leaving messes in bathrooms and problems with stolen merchandise, the Village Pantry has been closing down its bathrooms to the public at night for the last few years.
Village Pantry's manager, Julie, she did not wish to give her full name when interviewed, but said the main problems the store has had is when college students come into the store drunk and are extremely loud. She said she works a few midnight shifts once in a while, but those are the main problem the store runs into.
Julie has been Village Pantry's manager for the last year, but she said the store has shut the bathrooms down in the evenings as long as she's been there. Employees usually close up the bathrooms starting at 3 p.m. and leave them closed for about 16 hours.
"They've done that for the last few years," she said. "That's what they've always done."
Julie said problems with people getting sick on the floor in the bathrooms and urinating where they shouldn't is the main reason Village Pantry has been doing this.
"When they're drunk, they puke everywhere," she said. "I guess people got tired of cleaning it up."
Another reason to close the bathrooms is because the store has had a few problems with people stealing beer, Julie said.
However, these are not the only problems Village Pantry has had due to weekend-night celebrations.
College students will park in the Village Pantry parking lot and then go across the street to the bars, so our customers don't have places to park, Julie said.
"I don't have much parking," she said. "A lot of them want to park over here and then go across the street to the bars."
Though this has been a problem, she said the store has only had cars towed away a few times.
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