NORMAL - Tammy Ward, assistant manager of the A&W/Kentucky Fried Chicken restaurant on North Main Street, already has seen a benefit to the new Illinois State University Alumni Center.

Many of the construction workers who helped build the façade ate lunch at the restaurant. Ward hopes employees at the center also will frequent the business.

"There's not that many places to eat around here and we have a good variety," she said.

Jack Zhang, owner of the Jade Garden, two doors down from the new alumni center, hopes the same thing. "The construction workers come in every morning," said Zhang. "I hope (the center) will bring in more for lunch."

The restaurants have depended on passers-by, college students and other neighbors for their business. The alumni center, located at the former Eagle grocery store, 1101 N. Main St., will not only bring 80 ISU employees to their doorstep but all the people who frequent the center.

ISU spokesman Jay Groves said besides being the new home to eight departments, the building has a great hall that could be used for alumni gatherings or even a reunion. It also has meeting space.

Edward Jones financial advisor Kevin Thomas said ISU's presence at the strip center "was the major factor in us choosing this location. It's great for the area we're in. This is a beautiful center that was underutilized," he said.

Meanwhile, Walgreens, which fills the last of the spaces in the strip center, also likely will get more business with the opening of the ISU Alumni Center. But those new customers shouldn't get too used to the idea of having the business right next door.

Carol Hively, spokesman for Walgreens, said the store at 1110 N. Main St., will be closed when the corporation opens a store a couple blocks north at 509 W. Raab Road, the site of the former Soooooooo Convenient store and strip mall.

Soooooooo Convenient closed late last year after business was cut in half when a new barrier median along Raab Road prevented westbound customers from turning into the business on the south side of the street.

Work on the new Walgreens hasn't started but Hively said plans are to open the new store - and close the one on North Main Street - in late 2009.

Groves said the ISU Foundation, which owns the Alumni Center building and leases it to ISU, "has great interest in all of the property" at the strip center so he wouldn't be surprised if the foundation would be interested in purchasing the Walgreens site once the business moves out.