BLACKSBURG -- Accustomed to the malls of Northern Virginia, Virginia Tech sophomore Jessica Brown came to Blacksburg knowing full well how to shop.

Dressed recently in a pair of metallic red sandals and a matching red jacket, Brown said she probably spends $2,000 to $3,000 a year on clothes alone.

"It's the same with any girl. ... You want to keep up with the latest fashions, you want to look great," Brown said. "My parents' generation was more frugal, whereas my generation, we tend to feel like we need the latest and always have to buy stuff."

It's true.

Many of today's college students no longer fit the struggling student profile.

A 360 Youth College Explorer Study released in August 2004 found that college students nationwide have $122 billion in spending power, including $24 billion in discretionary spending power.

Yet for years, Blacksburg has had trouble impressing students' spending power on national retailers. To try to change that, several developers and community marketers have homed in on where some students get their money.

In 2004, The Blacksburg Partnership commissioned a study that found Tech students hailed from some of the wealthiest households in America. A healthy 20 percent, in fact, came from households dubbed "Upper Crust," where the median income is $136,698.

"What we kept seeing in typical studies of demographics was there was no way you could account for the disposable income that students have just looking at what they're earning in Blacksburg," Diane Akers, the partnership's executive director said of the study.

Retailers appear to be taking notice.

Fairmount Properties, a Cleveland-based company working to bring a 40-acre, retail-heavy development to South Main Street, was one of the first developers to use the study. Last month, the company released a tenant list for its project that includes several national names, including Talbots, Coldwater Creek and Frank Theatres.

The lineup is a big deal for Blacksburg, and some see it as a signal that small college towns are finally making it onto retailers' radars.

"The college student as a whole across the country is becoming a more important consumer to retailers," Fairmount principal Randy Ruttenberg said in 2006. "And given that a good part of the student body at Virginia Tech comes from families whose wealth is above the national average, also makes this an attractive opportunity."

Ellen Davis, a spokeswoman for the National Retail Federation, said a handful of retailers began tapping into the college market in the late 1990s with items such as beanbag chairs and mini refrigerators. Others soon followed.

"College students aren't tied down by the same debt and responsibilities as their parents, so college students tend to have higher disposable incomes and can spend that money on food, magazines, entertainment and furniture," Davis said. "College students place a very high value on enjoying their lifestyle, and so, many retailers looking to grow their business have transitioned into the college market because that's a group of people that really likes to spend money."

Take Tech freshman Ryan Herold.

Just this semester, the Northern Virginia transplant estimates he's spent about $1,500 to $2,000 on car parts and another $2,000 on books, clothes and eating out.

"I spend a lot of money," Herold said emphatically. "My dad went to a good school in a nice city, but he said, with clothes, I spend more than three times what he spent."

That's good news for executives such as Frank Theatres President Bruce Frank.

Frank's Florida-based company plans to open a two-story, 73,000-square-foot family entertainment center with miniature golf, laser tag, bowling, an arcade, a sports bar and a 14-screen multiplex in the Fairmount development.

"We like college towns," Frank said.

When asked why, his answer was simple: "Disposable income -- the kids need to be entertained."

They also need to eat.

North Carolina-based restaurant franchise owner Boddie-Noell Enterprises recently said it will open a Moe's Southwest Grill on a downtown corner. With a menu of burritos, tacos and quesadillas, and item names such as the "Homewrecker" and "The Ugly Naked Guy," the eatery hopes to attract students looking for a quick, off-campus meal.

"The food resonates well with college students and that age demographic," said Angelo Dajon, vice president of operations for Boddie-Noell. "Throughout the nation, there are several of the better-volume restaurants that are in university settings."

But while some companies are eager to cash in on student spending, others are wary.

"I think there's a real opportunity in all of these college towns," said John Millar, executive vice president with Divaris Real Estate in Virginia Beach. "But the educational process is long and hard for retailers because they have to buy into a concept that they don't really see in the research that they buy."

Developer Bill Ellenbogen agreed, citing his efforts to fill a retail extension he and a partner are adding to University Mall.

"We have not had much luck with national retailers," he said. "We've had good success getting tenants, but the tenant base we're going to present will not have the national tenants."

That could be because his contacts aren't as good as Fairmount's, Ellenbogen conceded, but he also blames Blacksburg's demographics.

Estimates for 2003 show 60,081 residents with an average household income of $48,748 within Blacksburg's 10-minute trade area, according to one study. Such demographics can pose a problem.

"It's been more difficult that we originally hoped," Fairmount principal Adam Fishman said of efforts to attract national tenants. "Some of that is just the nature of the industry ... but the demographics are light, there's not tremendous density in this town," and the household income levels are not as strong as other markets.

And while a dollar-dropping college population can be persuasive, Davis warned it takes more than a college to lure your favorite store.

"I've heard many communities try and sell the fact that they have a college in town in order to bring retailers to a community, but it's still a tough sell," Davis said. "College students don't make or break many retail outlets. Certainly having a college is a nice asset, but I don't think it can be the only selling point."