[media-credit name=’Derek Montgomery/Herald photo’ align=’alignnone’ width=’648′][/media-credit]The onset of the warm weather has brought State Street alive throughout the past couple of weeks, filling outdoor cafes with students and increasing business for shops in the area.

Amy’s Café owner Tom Paras said he set up the outdoor café “the minute” the temperature warmed up. After spending the cold winter indoors, students were enjoying the weather and eating outside immediately, he added.

“Our business has increased dramatically — 35 percent or so in one day,” Paras said. “It’s a blessing to have nice weather.”

Susan Schmitz, president of Downtown Madison, Inc., said State Street is always at the “whim of the weather,” which can be good and bad for business owners.

“When the weather is bad, people don’t want to be there, and they might go to the malls, but when the weather is nice, boy, that’s where people want to be,” Schmitz said. “That’s why we’ll be focusing again … to make it a beautiful, welcome environment.”

The nearness of the city’s lakes and the Capitol add to the environment of State Street, Schmitz said. Many big spring and summer events in Madison tend to happen around the Capitol Square and “trickle down” to State Street.

The Farmer’s Market around the Capitol Square will begin April 23 and the Crazy Legs Classic, a 5-mile run that travels from the Capitol Square, down State Street and onto the Lakeshore Path, is scheduled for April 30.

The springtime weather brings many students out of their residence halls and apartments and onto State Street to eat and shop, Lindsay Williamson, an employee at clothing store Dick and Jane, said.

“When the weather is nice, we get a lot more people walking through to shop,” Williamson said. “Sales are a lot better as well.”

While State Street has been bustling during the warm days, the warm nights have also increased business for downtown taverns.

State Street Brat’s Manager Joe Goldfine said although it is always “hit or miss” with the weather, recently customers have been enjoying themselves at the outdoor beer garden.

“As the weather gets better, business is always going to increase,” Goldfine said. “We’ve seen an increase in every night so far, especially flip night and weekends.”

According to Schmitz, now that State Street is bustling again, DMI has installed information center kiosks to put a “friendly face” on the street for visitors and residents.

Part of the Lisa Link Peace Park reconstruction will include a permanent visitors center, Schmitz said, adding the idea for information centers came after the work on the 100 block of State Street, where a kiosk was installed to help navigate people around the construction.

Warm weather also brings construction season to State Street with several projects underway, including Overture Center Phase II and reconstruction of the 200 block of State Street.

“We learned a lot from the 100 block, and we actually did a lot of things right,” Schmitz said. “The businesses were accessible at all times. We hope we have the same results.”