Issue date: 3/13/08 Section: Campus News

Media Credit: Mitra Anoushirivani Barack Obama's Westminster Street office is closed now, and local businesses miss the excitement.

Terri St. Amant had to get used to the presidential campaigns when they first rolled through town. The saleswoman at Symposium Books, downtown on Westminster Street, said she wasn't accustomed to the lively atmosphere and hub-bub that staffers brought into the shop. Now, she said, she misses the flavor added by Barack Obama's campaign office to the city's vibe.

With a wave of national politics sweeping through Rhode Island earlier this month, Obama's and Hillary Clinton's campaigns opened offices in Providence. But now, the primary's over, the bustling offices are gone - and some Providence businesses and campaign volunteers wish they were still around.

"We were definitely disappointed to see them go, and we joked, 'Oh, it's going to affect our business,' " said Daren MacDonald, the coffee manager at Tazza Caffe, across the street from the Illinois senator's campaign office.

Sales "definitely increased, no doubt about it," MacDonald said. "Just seeing the same faces every day, that's what was great. They utilized every aspect of the business: coffee, food, cocktails and music. We served them well."

"Foot traffic definitely increased" and lunch times were "a little bit busier," St. Amant said.

"A lot of the people from the campaign asked if we had the Obama book, which we don't have because we don't carry a lot of new releases," she added with a laugh.

Obama's office, about a 10-minute walk from Kennedy Plaza, sits near hip cafes and chic boutiques in a neighborhood that tends to draw the up-and-coming youth his campaign has attracted. Clinton's office, across from a homeless shelter on Broad Street, is situated among the families and working-class voters who have helped propel her candidacy.

"I think everyone was incredibly energized to have a campaign here," said Ariel Werner '09, a coordinator for Brown Students for Barack Obama. "People were able to walk into Westminster Street, where our office was, through the heart of Providence and see the physical campaign presence and the diversity of people that were in the office."

Perhaps revealing a more playful side to a serious operation, Oop! Think Happy also saw a fair share of extra activity during the campaign flurry. Down the street from the Obama office, the shop sells quirky items such as "Get Lucky" gum and "Understand Your Mother Instantly" breath spray.

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