9 to 5: Working in Colonial Williamsburg as a College Student

The areas surrounding different college campuses can contribute greatly to a school’s atmosphere and job market. Hear from students at the College of William and Mary about the proximity, flexibility, and community of working in the Colonial Williamsburg area.

ZACHARY LUTZKY // FLAT HAT MAGAZINE

Georgetown has D.C., NYU has New York City, Carnegie Mellon has Pittsburgh, and the College has Colonial Williamsburg. For many students looking at colleges, proximity to large urban areas — and the employment and internship opportunities they can provide — is a deciding factor on where to attend. Someone interested in public policy or law might gravitate to Georgetown because of the 20-minute commute to the White House (the ultimate internship), and a prospective theater major might eye NYU because of its subway-ride distance from Broadway (a main character moment).

Even though Williamsburg isn’t exactly a bustling metropolis, there are plenty of opportunities for employment just across Boundary Street.

Merchants Square, according to its website, is the “one of the earliest, if not the first planned shopping districts in the United States.” During John D. Rockefeller Jr.’s restoration of Colonial Virginia, Rockefeller worked with the Reverend W.A.R. Goodwin to revamp and restructure Colonial Williamsburg’s commercial sector. The project was planned specifically with shoppers and tourists in mind; the wide pedestrian-friendly square and hidden power lines make the Square both welcoming and attractive.

Merchants Square boasts over 30 businesses in its directory. Most of them are small eateries and boutique-style stores, the kinds of places looking for part-time clerks, waitresses, hostesses, and sales associates — all of which they find in no short supply from the College.

“The first thing my manager said to me … was, ‘I love hiring students. I’ll hire as many students as I can,’” said Tess Willet ’25, a hostess and busser at Culture Cafe.

One of the many restaurants owned by Chef David Everett, who has been investing in the Williamsburg community since opening Blue Talon Bistro in 2004, Culture Cafe is run by locals Scott Hoyland and Louise Wood. A “diverse space with something for each of us,” Culture Cafe welcomes “vegans, vegetarians, omnivores, flexitarians, pollotarians, carnivores, and fruitarians.”

Mellow Mushroom hostess Ryleigh Tibbets ’25 explained how local businesses are more than willing to hire students from the College. 

ZACHARY LUTZKY // FLAT HAT MAGAZINE

One of two local franchises owned by Hampton Roads local Gray Nelson, Mellow Mushroom is a recent staple of Merchants Square since opening its Colonial Williamsburg location in October 2018.

With 1980s-British-punk-meets-1700s-British-royalty décor that features a mural of the College’s founders, Mellow Mushroom incorporates local visuals into the company’s aesthetic. 

In contrast to the usual cycle of apply-wait-interview-wait-rejection-apply, every student interviewed said that getting hired at a Merchants Square business was a quick and painless process.

FatFace Boutique sales associate Halle Boroski ’25 explained the ease of attaining the position she now holds.

“I didn’t even give them a resume … [I] just [gave] them my email … and then they didn’t even interview me; they were like, ‘Yeah, you have the job,’” Boroski said.

Founded in 1988 by friends Jules Leaver and Tim Slade and named after a ski slope in Val-d’Isere, FatFace is a British ski-resort brand that has recently moved into Colonial Williamsburg. FatFace made the trip across the Atlantic in 2016 with its first U.S franchises, and the Williamsburg location opened in late 2021, making it one of 58 locations in the U.S.

Tibbets echoed the simplicity of the application process.

“Within 20 minutes, the lady came out handing me an application and was like, ‘I’ll see you back here in an hour, and we can get your schedule set,’” Tibbets said.

According to Erin Goodnow, CEO of college tutoring company Going Ivy, flexibility of hours is crucial for students balancing work and school. “Finding a job that allows you to keep school your priority is key,” Goodnow said in a 2017 interview with Forbes Magazine.

Beyond being so willing to hire, all students interviewed said that their respective managers were understanding and accommodating of their lives and schedules as students.

“My boss is so chill. She’s like, ‘Do you want to work today?’ I’m like, ‘Yeah,’” said Boroski.

Tibbets, an athlete, must schedule work around classes, practices, and weekends away for tournaments.

“I was very upfront about it, and I was like, ‘I’m gone this [and] these days. Like, I hope that’s not an issue.’ They schedule me the one day I don’t have practice, and they let me choose which shifts to pick up during the weekend,” Tibbets said. 

The students interviewed also discussed the convenience of Colonial Williamsburg’s location. While students in cities without cars may have to take public transportation in order to get to work, for a student at the College, work may be just a short walk away.

“The appeal of working in Colonial Williamsburg is that you can walk,” Boroski said. 

This proximity to local businesses allows for freshmen and sophomores (who are not typically eligible for campus parking passes) to be able to find off-campus work.

In addition to the money and the resume boost, working off-campus can also allow students to establish a connection to the larger Williamsburg area and community. 

“It’s really endearing to have people that aren’t in school come in; you recognize them, and they recognize you back. It’s a good feeling,” said Tibbets. 

There’s no doubt that Colonial Williamsburg and the College are critical components of the local community — education and tourism are Williamsburg’s two most important industries. In 2021, the College was Williamsburg’s largest employer. Students working in Williamsburg further foster the symbiotic relationship between the College and the larger community.

This relationship can further be seen through the presence of programs like Williamsburg Engagement, a community involvement program that “connects students with local community partners,” allowing students to “positively affect people’s lives in our community.” Additionally, funded local internships offered by the Office of Community Engagement allow students the opportunity to work in the Williamsburg Farmers Market, James City County Planning, and the Community Services center.

Although none of the students interviewed saw the College’s location as a major benefit in terms of career prospects, a student looking to study history might feel very differently.

Beyond proximity, the College has actively collaborated on projects such as the research of the Williamsburg Bray School, also known as the Dudley Digges House. This endeavor, which began in 2020, was made possible through close cooperation between the College and Colonial Williamsburg, and the project helped spotlight local Black history. Besides Colonial Williamsburg, local research centers such as the Jamestown-Yorktown foundation and the National Park Service offer opportunities for students to gain hands-on research experience close to home.

Despite not being in the middle of an up-and-coming city, the College is hardly bereft of job opportunities for students. And the numbers prove that location isn’t everything as well.

According to the Princeton Review, the College is the number one public school for internships, despite not being near any large firms, banks, or hospitals. The College also holds its own income-wise against more metropolitan universities with the Class of 2019 having a postgraduate mean income rate that beats both Georgetown and NYU.

The College may not have a city as its campus, but we are more than fortunate to have a local community that supports the College and its students.