End of School Year Creates Business in Mendota Heights

School will be out in a matter of days. Parents have been planning for extra care and activities to keep their kids busy. But businesses, too, have to adjust to the increase of children in Mendota Heights during the warm summer months.

“Lots of pedicure calls. We always get a lot of pedicure calls in June,” said Suzan DesLauries, owner of LaRive Salon Spa at 799 Sibley Memorial Highway. 

She said her salon does “really well” in May and June as high school students and families are prepping for summer. Leg waxing, bikini waxing and highlights are also common services requested in the early summer months.

However, in the heat of summer people flee to their cabins and go on vacation - or it’s so humid and hot in Minnesota that people don’t care what they look like - leaving the spa wanting more, DesLauries said.

“July is always slow for any salon in town,” she said. 

Things pick up toward the end of summer with skin and hair care as people want to refresh with new fashions and styles.

“People are getting ready to go back to school,” DesLauries said.

'Summer is our Busiest Time'
Becky Tschida, owner of Helping Hands Home Services, said her cleaning and childcare services pick up during the summer months. Tschida offers drop in child care, so she takes kids for a few hours while parents head to work or get things done at home.

However, she said her cleaning services have a different focus because homes are dirtier during the summer.

“There are lots of bare feet coming in,” Tschida said. Plus, kids don’t have the same home care standards as parents and are at home making the house messier, she added.

“Summer is our busiest time,” said Teresa Gangelhoff, recreation programmer with the City of Mendota Heights Parks and Recreation.

While this seems an obvious statement - with parents desperately searching for something to keep their kids busy during the work day - the Parks and Recreation department sees 75 percent of its registration for activities in the summer.

The tennis program alone can occupy 180 children for six weeks of the summer. More than 300 children (and parents) take advantage of the summer playground series filled with themed crafts and activities for six weeks of the summer. There is even buried treasure to be found each week.

“We offer things that are different,” Gangelhoff said. “They’re going to learn outside and be active. Summer’s always a good time to try a different sport and see if you like it.”

Every Thursday, Gangelhoff plans a youth field trip, taking them to places such as ValleyFair, Twins games or local water parks. Mondays this summer, Parks and Recreation will have a puppet wagon in Market Square Park, the grassy knoll in the center of The Village, during lunch. This, Gangelhoff said, will hopefully help foster business and keep kids busy at the same time.

Safety camps, performances in the park and Early Childhood Family Education events will all be going on for children and families this summer. Check out www.mendota-heights.com for full details.

Jobs for Students
In addition to keeping younger kids and families busy, the Parks and Recreation department sees a change in personnel. Once school is out, Gangelhoff hires 10 seasonal summer workers - usually high school students, she said.

Cold Stone Creamery, in The Village, also invests in student help when hiring for the summer.

“We have a lot of high schoolers that work here, so a lot more hours are given to the high school kids,” said manager Lani Thompson. “It gets a lot busier.”

Hiring for summer help starts early, she said, because training takes a while. Thompson said she usually looks for high school students who are not going off to college in the fall because she wants to invest in training good employees.

“We really want to have a good team of people who can be around and be reliable,” she said.

In addition, Thompson said she sees a lot of high school students, teams and families as patrons during the summer months. Many students come from Henry Sibley High School or the Convent of the Visitation.

“All the kids are out of school, so that definitely brings in a lot of people,” she said. “Kids like ice cream.”

Summer is the busiest time for an ice cream shop. Business begins to pick up in April and only gets busier through June, July and August. However, Thompson said the weekends are quieter because many families are either at their cabins or on vacation. But come Sunday night, the place is hopping.

“It’s a good, fun place to come with groups. It’s pretty high energy in here, so it’s a fun place to go," Thompson said. "And, it’s in The Village, so you can come after pizza or after you get your nails done."