The almost gravitational pull of downtown development is good for area businesses by almost any measure, but the process can be painful for some. As the ONE development has risen and attracted business from throughout the community and beyond South Carolina, some neighbors have lost significant revenues as a result of the construction.
Literally in the shadow of the ONE project are businesses such as Luna Rosa Gelato and Wild Wing Café, who say they have experienced major losses as a result of the absence of foot traffic that comes from a short but important stretch of inaccessible sidewalks and narrowed street. Elements from ambience to loading ability have been affected for about two years.
Sales are down about 15 percent at Wild Wing Café, clearly a result of the construction, said Bill Mallette, general manager.
“They see the construction and just walk away. You can see them. They’re not wanting to sit outside,” Mallette said. He said with 110 restaurants within a mile of his, people have plenty of options if they don’t want to deal with a hassle.
He said even some regulars have disappeared. There is some foot traffic from the free parking area about 100 feet away, but it hasn’t made up for the loss.
Wild Wing has 33 locations, 11 of which are in the Upstate. Still, the store has had to cut back on staff.
“I feel really bad for these small mom-and-pop places,” he said, noting that his company’s rent is $23,000 per month.
Jackhammering the Ambience
One such small business is Luna Rosa Gelato Café, just a couple of doors down. Jose Ortiz, general manager and co-owner in the family business, said the noise has been his small restaurant’s biggest bane. Four to six of Luna Rosa’s dozen tables are located outside.
“From a business standpoint, the noise is really the biggest thing. I think that people want to see [the activity]; they also don’t want to sit outside where jackhammers are going off,” he said. “That’s 20 seats unavailable just from noise, and that’s not really fair.”
He said there have been other small annoyances, such as occasional road closings during peak hours, or directional signs pointing the wrong way that Luna Rosa staff took it upon themselves to walk out and correct. Such signs can be important in an area where the navigable path can change from one week to the next.
“This is two years now in the making. I think once the building’s done it’ll be fine; it’s just that surviving it is the key,” Ortiz said.
The city tries to mitigate the damage construction can do surrounding business by communicating well and being creative, said Nancy Whitworth, deputy city manager and director of economic development.
She said when demolition for the project was set to coincide with the holiday shopping season, the city came up with an idea to turn the detours into a Candy Land-like game. Similar efforts were made when the bridge at Falls Park caused major pedestrian and vehicular disruptions.
A Minor Irritation for Some
It’s a better story at the Wish clothing store located just on the other side of the construction, a few doors down from the corner of Main and Coffee streets. Manager Suzy Wells said the construction has been a minor irritation for her, but no customers have complained about it. Wish has escaped the negative effects.
“It really hasn’t dampened anything. If anything, we’ve had more foot traffic from people coming down wanting to see what’s going on,” Wells said. “Now Monday, I might be singing a different song,” she said, noting that the path of obstruction was set to shift closer to her store over the weekend.
To make up for their losses, businesses have tried harder to reach out to customers beyond downtown. Mallette said Wild Wing has tried several specials to lure customers, none of which have worked. Now the management is trying to “get outside these four walls” with specials like a planned ‘ladies night’ that he hopes will boost nighttime business.
Luna Rosa has put more effort into catering business. It was already a goal, said Ortiz, but the construction pushed them to move faster. A mobile app has also been used to try and lure customers at the slowest times.
Almost Finished
Robert Hughes of Hughes Development Corporation said construction is about 98 percent complete, though it is up to the city and contractors to decide when it is safe enough to open walkways.
“We’ve tried to move quickly,” he said.
Construction is expected to last at least into next month, eating into the restaurants’ prime season. The city said June was the anticipated finish, but an unseasonably rainy spring has caused delays.
When the day finally comes, Mallette said Wild Wing will immediately begin working on renovations that will integrate inside and outside seating, and allow space for live music. He hopes those efforts will help business spring back.
He expects the business to get back to normal levels, though it will take a few months of work to win back customers who’ve spent more than a year going someplace else.
Nobody disagrees that a finished ONE will benefit everyone, making business better than ever for some. In the meantime, however, those hardest hit are doing their best to hang on until then.
