High Street overhaul hurts business

Andy Gottesman/The Lantern According to some business owners, construction on High Street north of Lane Avenue is both an eyesore and bad for business. A $15.8 million project that is supposed to revitalize businesses on High Street north of Lane Avenue is doing exactly the opposite, some shopkeepers say.

"The word 'hideous' comes to mind," said Jay Bigger, manager of Sunflower Natural Foods, when asked how the business is faring.

Next door in Cafe Bella, owner Vince Withers agreed, calling the construction "choking."

Excavators and bulldozers have left High Street covered in dust, have left many side streets closed and have made parking difficult.

In addition to repaving the road and fixing the sidewalks, the revitalization effort stretching from Lane Avenue to Arcadia Avenue will plant trees, install 40 bike racks and set up two over-the-road arches to welcome visitors to Old North Columbus.

Begun in June 2008, the project is expected to be completed by fall 2009, according to the Columbus Division of Transportation.

"We certainly are aware that whenever we entertain a project of this magnitude on a business quarter, which High Street is, that it's going to have an impact on business," said Mary Carran Webster, assistant director of public service.

"We hope that their customers will put up with a little inconvenience during this time and keep these business afloat."

While both Withers and Bigger say they have loyal followings, the difficulty in getting to the store is causing problems.

"When people call and say, 'What's the best way to get here,' I recommend parachuting in," Bigger said.

Shopkeepers say that customers tend to follow a shopping pattern, and if they cannot follow their usual pattern, they change it. By the time the construction is over, some say, the customers will have established a new pattern.

"People just learn other places to go and they just don't come back," said Karen Wickliff, a bookstore owner on High Street in Clintonville.

Two years ago, Wickliff went through the same situation that is plaguing Withers and Bigger. Over two years, construction that revamped sidewalks and curbs, repaved streets and planted trees also cut her profits in half, she said.

Two stores from Wickliff, the Colonial Candy Shoppe was also affected by the construction.

"It really hit the businesses hard," said owner Melissa Goodrich. She likened the construction to pulling a tooth. "It has to be done, but that doesn't make it any less painful," she said.

Both Wickliff and Goodrich survived the previous construction. Withers and Bigger hope to do the same, now.

"I'm still optimistic, still positive," Withers said.

"We have every intention of making it," Bigger said.

Claire Racine can be reached at racine.10@osu.edu.