Collegiate Times

Many businesses and restaurants in downtown Blacksburg closed their doors early Monday in response to the manhunt for escaped inmate William Charles Morva.

The annual poster sale held outside of the University Bookstore was asked to close at around 11 a.m., said assistant salesperson Jonquil Brown. Brown said she noticed some commotion around the time Squires Student Center was evacuated, but did not see Morva.

?All I saw were kids watching and talking on cell phones as the police officers taped off [Squires],? Brown said. Brown said she felt a bit nervous about the day?s events, but would have preferred to keep the poster sale open. The lack of customers left some businesses with no reason to stay open, however. Bollo?s Caf? and Bakery and Gillie?s closed shortly after 1 p.m., as business died down after the incident at Squires.

Rivermill Restaurant soon followed.

?We had a lot of customers come in and try to get information more than anything,? Jonathan Dix, a senior economics major and barista at Bollo?s, said. ?Business is slow.?

Not all Blacksburg businesses felt the need to close their doors.

Souvlaki?s Restaurant remained open and saw no drop in business, cook Mark Maselter said.

The restaurant had no plans to close early, although Maselter said he was surprised it was still so crowded.

Local employees were left to spend their days watching the story unfold with the rest of the community.