In the Shops at Harvard Square: Weekend is Boom Time for Most

As university officials prepare to throw up the walls of Fortress Harvard in anticipation of the 200,000 people expected to descend upon the Boston area for the Head of the Charles, area businesses are opening their doors and inviting the hordes in.

The Head weekend is traditionally one of thebusiest and most successful times of the year forHarvard Square businesses.

"This is one of the many things that putsHarvard Square on the map," says Kristen Sudholz,director of the Harvard Square Business Alliance.

From the Harvard Coop to Checker Cab,entrepreneurs are rolling out the red carpets--anda few red flags.

Square One

The business climate in the Square starts withthe Coop, the biggest and most famous of theSquare's stores; a fact not lost on John Teplow,the Coop's sales promotion director.

Teplow said the store has been advertisingfrantically in an attempt to catch the eye of thecrowds on their way to the race.

"There's no question that the traffic of thesquare is going to find its way into the Coop,whether it's to use the bathrooms, to getinformation, or just to get out of the rain, andwe advertise specifically the regatta things wesell," Teplow said. "We'll be selling regattaposters, regatta T-shirts, and ornamental types ofjewelry that symbolize the regatta."

Coop General Manager Allan Powell says the racetraditionally draws crowds to the store before andafter the races.

"We'll be holding an outdoor sale to takeadvantage of the extra traffic," Powell said.

Cambridge's many hotels say reservations fromthe regatta--in addition to regular Octoberfoliage seekers--have left them full tooverflowing. While the Inn at Harvard sells out onweekends year-round, according to Director ofSales Sarah Willis, many of this weekend's guestsare friends and visitors of the rowers.

While those who can afford it prefer theB-11STORESCrimson File PhotoThe weekend is also home to entrepreneursand nauseated cab drivers.