MOUNT VERNON — Kenyon College’s student “K-cards” first arrived for local merchants in Gambier 15 years ago — specifically at the Kenyon Bookstore, Kenyon Inn among other haunts.
In later years student cards were available at some Mount Vernon businesses and restaurants like Dirko’s Pizza and Mazza’s restaurant.
Now more businesses are interested in having Kenyon students visit their shops and being able to use student cards, said Jan Thomas, senior advisor for community relations.
Businesses interested in having K-card accessibility use a card reading system called Cbord. Merchants pay a $350 account activation fee and are charged a $30 monthly support fee for Cbord. None of the money comes back to Kenyon, Thomas said.
Mount Vernon merchants using K-card readers is something that has spread by word of mouth, Thomas said.
“Once a year we make the rounds talking to students working at Kenyon over the summer asking what businesses they’d like to see have a K-card reader,” Thomas noted.
“The goal has always been to encourage students to come into Mount Vernon and frequent the local merchants,” Thomas said. “We think that Knox County is a great place to be.
“We think there are a lot of interesting things to do here and it’s really easy when you’re in Gambier to stay in Gambier.”
K-cards can bring students into the businesses, which is a win for the merchants and it encourages students to explore the wider community.
“It’s what our office is trying to do. Connect the two communities in new and different ways,” Thomas said.
Almost Famous Sweets & Sodas Owner Nick Vicars is expected to bring in the K-card readers in a couple of weeks, as a number of other businesses in the downtown area follow suit.
It’s to connect college students to downtown, Vicars said.
“If we collectively do it, all businesses at once will help with awareness,” he said.
Another business implementing the K-card reader is Fat Dog Vinyl, located at 7 N. Main St.
Owner Phil Hicks said having the K-card reader makes it’s easy for Kenyon students to use the card they already use on campus at Mount Vernon stores and it’s more inviting to bring them in the area. It brings a new potential market too, Hicks said.
To prepare for these new customers, Hicks has increased the store’s indie selection with bands like Japanese Breakfast, Mitski, Big Thief and Silver Jews landing in his record store.
“It’s an untapped market for us,” Hicks said. “We want to pull people from everywhere.”
