As another Auburn Football season on the Plains begins to finish, game days brought strains to the city’s infrastructure. One such instance was the appearance of long, often slow lines of game day traffic. However, for many of Auburn’s local businesses, this traffic has become surprisingly beneficial, with slower transit and increased foot traffic being surprisingly advantageous for the locals of downtown Auburn.
With higher numbers of students accepted each year to Auburn and a growing alumni network, football season can often overwhelm the infrastructure surrounding the university. In particular, lines at Toomer’s Corner and all along College Street can come to a standstill for several minutes at a time during peak hours.
For many of the students living off-campus during the school year, walking to Jordan-Hare Stadium became the only reasonable option and many out-of-town fans coming to the game similarly chose to park farther away from campus and walk to avoid the daunting lines of cars.
As a result, many shops lining College St. see large crowds of people outside for many of the hours before and after games. According to many locals, the traffic-filled hours are some of the most fruitful for their businesses.
“It brings out sales, and it brings in all the people,” Katie Garnett, a student at Auburn and a behind-the-counter worker at Toomer’s Drugs explained.
Located on the corner of Magnolia and College, Toomer’s is a marquee attraction for Auburn and visiting fans alike. Nestled in the heart of downtown, the store sees a plethora of visitors on game days seeking the signature Toomer’s Lemonade.
“There’s more people here and they’re getting in line, they’re grabbing their lemonade. Honestly, it’s always been positive for us. Saturday’s lines might get wrapped around the store, but nothing we can’t handle. We have a system and we’re taking orders and making them and I would say the line moves fairly fast. It can be a little overwhelming, but we make the most of it.” Garnett explained.
Before many home games, traffic can become slower by the Auburn faithful seeking to visit many popular downtown locations in preparation for the game. Fans will routinely shop around the area for game day essentials, as well as after games, where Toomer’s Oaks often draw fans immediately following the games.
“There’s definitely a lot more people downtown,” Teri Nix, owner of Auburn Art said. “They come down earlier and usually are gone about an hour before the game starts. There’s definitely more of a positive impact than a negative. Six o’clock games will have a lot more downtown traffic, the earlier games, it’s a little bit slower.”
Auburn Art is a gift and collectibles shop near Toomer’s Corner. The store draws in fans with a large display of Auburn memorabilia and art pieces, as well as a replica of the original Toomer’s Oak situated out front.
While traffic at Auburn during the school year has increased somewhat year-to-year due to higher numbers of students, the annual game day traffic has not noticeably increased in the eyes of many local shops.
“I think it has stayed the same, I mean, everybody loves Auburn, win or loss,” Auburn Wilcox, a student at Auburn and a cashier at the J&M Bookstore on College St. said. “They’re still going to come in and get the traditional J&M greeting, but it stays busy on game days, 110%. I can’t even say hi to everybody, it’s packed like sardines in there, every game day.”
The beneficial impact of this increased traffic around the area on J&M Bookstore isn’t just profitability.
“It’s definitely a positive impact, and plus, you get to see familiar faces here and there, friends and family,” said Wilcox.
As the 2024 Auburn football season rolls to a close on the Plains, long lines of cars on game days seem to routinely be the status quo in downtown Auburn. However, for local shops, this seeming nuisance can turn into a blessing in disguise.
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