It depends on who you talk to. There is a recent article in the UConn Daily Campus “Summer Tough on Storrs Center”. The article says that although some shops fared well, some were near death at the end of the summer and that Insomnia Cookies may be closing. Not surprising, since I didn’t see any advertising for Storrs Center or any of the merchants reaching out individually to Mansfield area residents and non-students. I am not aware of any local marketing in print, internet ads or radio promotion for the summer when students are scarce and the businesses need to rely on year-round residents to keep them afloat. It is certainly possible that there were some targeted mailings or email campaigns by some of the shops but I wasn’t on the list. I do receive regular email updates from Mansfield Downtown Partnership which are very informative and keep me abreast of the new businesses and residence areas that are under development but I have never received anything from any of the businesses. 
I was speaking to someone about whether or not she has visited the shops at Storrs Center and she reported that she went into a couple of the stores mid-summer and the staff in both locations explained that it was very slow as expected and that they were” just waiting for students to return.” In other words, they had accepted their fate: No effort needed to attract the locals, just wait until the end of August when the students return with high hopes and Husky Bucks.
I went to Geno’s Grille on a weekend evening in August at about 6 p.m. and saw just three other tables with diners, two of them local business people that I knew, one from Mansfield and one from Chaplin. I too expected the restaurants to be busier with locals, who, like me, avoid the campus during peak times. Summer at Storrs Center is a great opportunity to find a parking place and do a little exploring of our new downtown.
Personally I made an effort to support Storrs Center during the dog days of summer: I patronized Dog Lane Cafe, Moe’s, Mooyahs, Husky Pizza, and Geno’s Grille. I also shopped at Sweet Emotions, Insomnia Cookies and and Froyo and I occasionally blog about progress at Storrs Center. It might be time for Mansfield Downtown Partnership, Leyland Alliance or the marketing arm of their arrangement to do a little local promotion to the “rest of us” if they want a long and successful tenure at the University.
Don’t forget to shop Sweet Emotions for your Halloween candy! They have an excellent selection and some fun stuff!
Search for a home in Mansfield