In the past six months, more than six new restaurants and at least two new stores have opened in the downtown area, yet some students have said they still feel an overall inconvenience thriving on campus.

“State Street seems to shut down pretty early,” University of Wisconsin senior James Maslowski said. “And prices aren’t exactly within the students’ budget.”

Despite an overwhelming variety of restaurants and tastes on State Street, students are hindered by the fact that most stores close between 5 and 6 p.m., and many are over-priced for their products. Students said so-called “convenience” marts such as Walgreen’s, Triangle Market and Capitol Center Foods charge students above-average prices for average goods, and only Capitol Center stays open past midnight.

“Grocery-wise, on-campus shopping is very limited,” UW senior Dorota Dabrowski said. “The prices at places like the Den and Cap Center are ridiculous.”

And in a college town like Madison, where students are often up until all hours of the night studying, the lack of a 24-hour convenience mart can be frustrating.

“Most of the stores that close so early are ones I would want to go to after five,” Maslowski said. “Like Digital Outpost, it’s one of the only stores to get a print cartridge, and when they close at like 4:30 or whatever, it’s so inconvenient.”

Assistant manager of State Street Walgreen’s Mike Carbonai said he is not aware of any plans to become a 24-hour store anytime soon. Some Walgreen’s locations off-campus, such as the Mineral Point Roud location, do operate 24 hours, but none are within walking distance of the downtown area.

“I don’t think we would be doing that,” Carbonai said. “That would be something decided at the corporate level.”

One of the most noticeable recent changes in the downtown area was the loss of the Badger Pantry, called a local favorite for late-night snacks and necessities.

The building that housed the Badger Pantry was torn down this summer to make room for an apartment building, and some students in the area said they were left with fewer choices for grocery needs.

Owner of the building, Wayne Dishaw, said he understands the inconvenience this causes for students in the surrounding neighborhoods.

“I don’t think there’s any doubt that it was a ‘convenient’ convenient store. It was well known and popular,” he said.

Dishaw, who owned the previous building for the past 27 years, said he tried to negotiate with the owners of Badger Pantry prior to the building’s destruction.

“I tried to talk to them about it three years ago, and I offered them a great lease because they have been such good renters, but they had no interest in signing it,” he said.

Dishaw said he would like to put in some sort of deli or convenience store in the new building, but as of right now, there are no definite plans.

“In the past, the city has not been in favor of the big trucks that have to pull up in front to drop off supplies, and there really is not enough space for a full store anyways,” Dishaw said. “But I would like to put in something useful, maybe some sort of modified deli/grocery, like Fraboni’s on Regent Street.”

Another recent addition to the area, the high-end accessory store Dick and Jane, sells products from such well-known designers as Kate Spade and Gucci but does not sell typical college-budget material.

Store co-owner Don “Van” VanWart said the lack of choice for students was precisely the reason for putting the store on State Street in the first place.

“God, how many Wisconsin t-shirt shops can this town really need?” VanWart said. “Yes, we do happen to sell quite a few things that are priced over $100, but why not? I believe in aspirations in life, and why shouldn’t students have something to aspire to, some sort of level of quality?”

VanWart said although students are an important part of the store’s clientele, shoppers also include alumni, local residents and out-of-towners.

“This store is not just for students, it’s for the whole community,” he said. “I think we’re trying to add a new dimension to State Street.”

VanWart calls Dick and Jane a “hip, young, cool alternative to regular State Street shopping,” and said he feels that the need for such a store was and is definitely present.

At the other end of the spectrum are restaurants such as Big Mike’s Super Subs, which offers very low prices, long hours and free delivery.

General manager for the State Street location Jamie Mueller cited negotiations with vendors as one of the main reasons for the restaurant’s low prices.

“We buy our veggies in bulk and prepare them ourselves, so that saves a lot of money,” Mueller said.

Although stores on State Street cater to audiences other than students, Dabrowski said she is fairly satisfied with the end product.

“As far as specialty shops go, I think the prices are pretty decent,” she said. “I mean, even though State Street is located in the middle of campus, it is still a downtown area catering to others besides students.”